P3: Days of Autumn
by CipherPrinceofDreams
Summary: Minato Arisato rises three days after the Battle of Nyx. He may now live the life that was taken from him. Minako Arisato (Both are not-related), his new friend and partner in crime, who helps him in all his school problems. Then, he found love and is forced to choose. Will he willing to lose the love for the friendship? Or will he be willing to lose the friendship for love?
1. Minako Arisato

_January 31, 2010..._

*sigh* I'll never forget that day... Earlier that year, a strange disease plagued the bay city of Iwatodai.

Ten years ago, the news reached the far corners of Japan that it was the fault of the international corporate company, The Kirijo Group, that caused an explosion and they immediately built a school there in the aftermath. Now, we're dealing with a strange malady that swept the city...

A grotesque and mysterious syndrome, aptly named 'The Apathy Syndrome", that left the victim in a miserable and vegetative state, leaving the victim as a drain of society and a husk of their former selves.

Every month, it would worsen and at full moon, it would miraculously alleviate, then the cycle would start again. It continued to worsen, until January, where you could see those scum with the Apathy syndrome everywhere.

A group of teenagers learned everybody was doomed to die after Winter.

Then, it mysteriously stopped after January 31, after the source was sealed by a boy...

Three months later, a 17 year old boy with his life ahead of him died mysteriously. The same boy who gave his life for people he would never come to know.

I was that boy. And it was my life.

That was three days ago.

It wasn't always like this... I had a life once...

Who am I? Do you guys REALLY want to know? The story of my life isn't filled with dancing elves or woodland fairies. If someone told you that I was a perfectly normal and ordinary guy, not a care in the world and that I had nothing special on me... they lied to you.

Minato Arisato was my name. I was seventeen years old…

Last year, I went to Iwatodai to live a normal high school life…

"Normal" high school life... What bullshit. You can use any word, any word at all, to describe my high school life, except normal.

I gained the ability, the ability to summon creatures called "Personas" that hold unimaginable powers… apparently, at a price. I harboured the spirit of Death and naturally, I was doomed to die this year from the start.

A power I never asked for…

Then, we began our year-long watchfulness of Iwatodai…

I met friends… made enemies… and even fell in love.

If you're reading about this and think this is cool... just... don't. It's a horrifying curse that a select few souls are forced to bear. If you think you have this power, then try to suppress it and don't use it.

Not everyone is meant to make a difference... But for me, the choice to love a normal life was no longer the option the moment I gained my powers.

Long story short, we found that an entity, Nyx, would descend upon humanity and life would cease to exist.

After beating her, I died three months after sealing her away.

But, after three days, I awoke.

With the powers of the Universe Arcana at my disposal, I withheld the seal and lived. In doing so, made the ultimate miracle... Returning to life.

I died, but I never felt so alive.

Now, I want to live the life that was taken from me.

A "normal" life I never had.

I never knew that it'd be the exact opposite of what I had in mind.

I never knew that... I'd meet an incredible girl this year. A girl that would define this year.

This marks the first day...

My Days of Autumn…

* * *

_April 8, 2010..._

Junpei and I were walking at the new Junes at the east side of the Tatsumi Port Island.

We were going to buy our books, comforters and some supplies…

"Man! This year's gonna be sweet! New school year, senior year, new babes… a clean slate!" Junpei said.

"You're awfully spirited today…" I said sleepily.

"Why not? I mean, sure, it sucks that the dorm closed down, but look at the bright side, we're sharing a house with Akihiko-senpai! It's sure to be a party! Imagine, sharing a house with Akihiko-senpai! Parties every day, and all night!"

The dorm closed down a few days ago and we were buying some things for our shared boarding house…

Leaving behind Yukari and the other girls and Ken…

Well, I never really did anything with Yukari…

We sorta fell out of love…

I mean, I DO want her, but she seems uninterested at the moment…

If she is…

"I doubt it." I muttered.

"Huh?" Junpei said.

"Nothing… just rehearsing a line…"

"Why so glum?" he asked.

"I don't know… after moving all my stuff to our boarding house, I feel awfully hungry…" I said as the growl in my stomach confirmed it.

Junpei suddenly understood.

"Ah! Okay, grab a bite from the Burger Joint upstairs and get right back here!" Junpei said.

"Sure. Meet me by the fountain in thirty minutes, okay?" I said.

"Wilco." Junpei said and we parted ways.

I put on my earphones and walked to the elevator.

Then, as I stood there, the door closed when a seventeen year old girl with auburn hair in a pony tail and red earphones was about to enter.

I held the door for her.

"Thanks." She said as she smiled warmly at me.

I smiled back and listened to my earphones.

She was fidgeting around, as if she was claustrophobic.

She mouthed something to me.

"Huh?" I said as I took off my earphones.

"M.C.R.?" she asked.

"Yeah… Black Parade…" I said.

"Huh… I like M.C.R. as well..." She said.

"Small world! What's your favorite M.C.R. song?" I asked.

"Ummm… Na Na Na? I call it that…" she said.

"Yeah… I like the lyrics…" I said.

Play it cool, Arisato… play it cool…

"Oh yeah! Drugs give me drugs!" she sang to the tune of Na Na Na.

She then awkwardly stopped.

"Yup… so… um… where you headed?"She asked.

"Well… I'm going to grab a bite at the Burger Joint upstairs… I'm hungry as a lion…" I said.

"What a coincidence! I'm headed there as well!" she said.

"So… if you want, let's go there together?" I asked.

"Really? You'd do that?" she asked.

"Yeah, why not? Me, walking along with a beautiful-" I said uncontrollably.

She was looking at me.

"Uh! Forget what I said!" I retorted.

"So… I'm not pretty?" she said.

"Ulp! You are pretty, but… aw let's not go there, okay? I'll treat you to anything you want… the sky's the limit… at 8000 yen. Uh…"

She giggled.

"Minako." She said.

"Minako…" I repeated.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"My name?"

"Do you see anyone else I'm asking?" she said sarcastically.

"Minato."

She tilted her head.

"Our names are almost similar…" she noted.

"Yeah… I guess so…" I said.

"Okay… I'll hold you to your promise." She said.

"Cool. Wait, what?"

We went inside the burger joint.

"I'll take seven burgers… and that's just for me, and this guy will have-" she points to me.

"Five burgers and a pizza." I said.

"Coming right up!" the chef said.

We ate our burgers and kinda lost track of time…

We talked about a lot of stuff, particularly about Minako, Green Day and M.C.R...

Then, Junpei called.

"Dude! Where are you? You've been gone for an hour and a half! I thought you were only gonna grab a bite at the Burger joint?!"

"Calm down, Junpei, I'm out here picking up some comforters…" I lied.

"He's lying!" Minako yelled.

"Wait, was that a girl?! We're out looking for comforters and you're on a date?!" he screamed and I put my phone away from my ear because he yelled so loudly.

"Is she a looker?" he asked.

I sniffed. "Definitely. Now, I need to go." I hung up.

"That was my friend. Apparently, I need to stop goofing off and look for some comforters… *sigh* what a pain…" I said.

"Tell me about it… my aunt told me to look for one as well… maybe we could…?" she said shyly.

"Huh?" I said.

"You know… we could…" she fidgeted.

"Come on, Lady, spit it out…" I said.

"Well, maybe we could go together… I'm sorta new here and I don't want to get lost or nothing…" she said.

"You're new here and your aunt sent you to the largest Junes in the region to buy comforters?" I said.

"Hey, my auntie ain't the brightest lightbulb in the tanning bed…" she shrugs.

"Sure. What the hell…" I stood up and paid the bill as Minako and I went out.

"Incidentally, what's your last name?" I asked.

"Arisato."

Time seemed to have stood still. Was this another hat-trick the Universe is playing on me?

"A-Arisato?"

"Yeah… why?" I asked.

"My name is Arisato too!" I said.

Again, the same feeling of being played by the Universe resurfaced.

"This is getting very creepy…" I said.

"Hey, don't worry: We're probably not related. I'm from New York. My name's not really Arisato… My dad changed his name when he immigrated to the U.S. and my parents died of a car accident when I was six and my mom's sister, my widowed aunt, took me in…"

"So… you're not an Arisato by blood?" I said.

"Not exactly…she's my second cousin's third brother's first cousin's wife three times removed." She said.

"Okay…" I said as I tried to digest that info.

"Well, what's your favorite color?" I asked.

She tapped her earphones.

"Ah…" I said as we went inside the Bed, Soap and Infinity store.

We picked out some cozy comforters.

I opted for the Azure colored comforter, while she chose the Scarlet with fur lining.

The, we went out to get some poster by the IBOM store.

While we were choosing some rock band posters (Green Day, Evanescence, M.C.R., Paramore, Maroon 5 and Boys Like Girls.) I saw Yukari and she saw me.

I inched closer to Minako.

"Let's go…" I whispered.

"What?" she said.

"Let's go! Ex-girlfriend alert!"

"I really can't hear you, speak up!" she said.

"Take off your ear phones then!"

She took them off.

"Ex-girlfriend al- Hello Yukari!" I said as Yukari tapped me.

"Minato… good to see you." she was with Fuuka.

"Minato-kun! Hello!" Fuuka said.

"Hello, Fuuka!" I said.

"So… what brings you here?" Yukari asked.

"Well, just showing my friend here around… she's new here…" I said.

Minako waved.

"Ah… I'm Yukari Takeba." Yukari said.

"Oh! Minako Arisato's my name, eating's my game." She said.

"Arisato? Are you two cousins?" Fuuka asked.

"Oh, no, we're not related… actually, we met an hour and a half ago…" I said.

"How convenient…" Yukari said.

"Hey, it's true…" I said.

"Hm… so, how have you been, Minato?"

"Just fine, thanks." I said stiffly.

She nodded and gestured Fuuka.

"Let's go." And they left.

Minako looked at Yukari.

"Geez… what's her beef?" she said.

"Don't ask…" I said.

"Okay… I'm gonna buy my books now, want to come?" I said.

"Nope. Already bought mine. But I'll come with you." she shrugs.

We went to the Empyrean Bookstore.

Minako was looking for the newest Percy Jackson book.

I went ahead and bought my books.

"Done?" she said, clutching the book as if someone would steal it.

"Done." I said.

She smiled, then paid for the book.

We went outside.

"Well, Minato, can I have your number?" she asked.

"Huh? Sure." I said and we exchanged phone numbers.

I took her photo and she took mine.

"Thanks!"" she said.

We walked a few blocks.

"Well, Minako…I gotta go buy some groceries…" I said.

"Huh? Hmmm… okay, bye!" she said and left in the direction of my home.

Maybe if I'm lucky, then she'll live nearby.

I snickered and took some Lays and Cheetos and a 12 pack of Root beer.

I went back home.

I prepared my things and it began raining.

When I went down, Akihiko was making some food.

"How ya doin'?"

"Nothing much…" I said.

"Ah… where's Junpei? It's awfully quiet today…" he said.

Speak of the devil, the door opened.

It was the soaking wet Junpei Iori.

"Ooops."

"You better have a damned good reason for leaving me behind!"

"I met a girl. You would've done the same… we went shopping, no biggie…" I

"What?! Let me see!" he said.

I took my cell and showed him.

"OH. MY. GAWD." He said, "What a hottie!" he said.

"Yup. Now, let's eat." I said.

Then, a few days later, it was class day…

I went with Junpei and Akihiko (half of the way) and we rode the train to school.

We arrived and I saw my Kendo team at the courtyard of the station.

"You're the new captain now, Kaz!" one said.

"Yeah! You better lead us to victory!" a second one said.

"What team?" Yuko said.

"Samurais!" they all shouted.

"What team?" Yuko said.

"Samurais!"

"Samurais?"

"The best in the world!" they all shout.

They run to school.

"Well, they're fired up…" I said.

"Yep." Junpei said, "Hormonally charged boys and full-contact sports... like THAT'S not a recipe for disaster!"

We went in and we looked at the board.

Apparently, Yukari, Fuuka, Junpei, Kenji, Yuko, and I were classmates…

Kenji was chatting with Yuko and another girl, a pretty lady who wasn't wearing proper uniform.

I went in my room with Junpei and Mr. Toriumi is our homeroom teacher again.

"Nice to see you all! You all have a splendid vacation?"

We were silent.

"Don't answer that. Anyway, check out our new clubs, mainly the writers guild, the science club, the Times Club, which is the school newspaper…" she began talking.

We kicked a can and passed it around.

"Pass it here, Rio-chan!" Yuko said to the pretty girl, who was probably Rio.

"… and summer musicale where we will be searching for a new lead… and Ms. Yuko, this is a classroom, not a hockey arena."

"S-Sorry Miss!" Yuko said as she slapped Kenji in the arm.

"There is also the signup sheet for our school decathalon…"

I saw a red haired girl in the class… about two seats away…

The one from a few days ago…

I decided to give her a call.

I clicked her number and called her.

She straightened up and opened her cell and it had my photo.

It WAS her!

"Ah! I see that the cell phone menace has returned to plague our crucible of learning…" she went around.

"Is that a cell phone, Ms. Takeba?" she began collecting cell phones.

"You'll receive this by the end of the day." She said as she took everyone's cell in a box.

"Ms. Arisato, welcome to Gekkoukan High school! I see your cell phones are involved!"

She took them.

Everyone looked at me, then her as she tried to stay cool.

"Any questions?" she said.

Junpei raised his hand.

"Yes, Iori?"

"How were your holidays, Miss Toriumi?"

Everyone laughed and Kenji threw a trashcan at him.

Then, I followed Minako

"Hey!" I said as I tapped her.

Her eyes went wide.

"I don't…" She said.

"Believe it…" I said.

"Well, me…" she said.

"Either, but how…?" I said.

"Well, this IS the only nearest school…" she said.

"Right… well, want me to show you around, Miss Arisato?" I said.

She smiled.

"Sure, Mr. Arisato."

* * *

**A/N: It's been months since I published this, so I'm gonna revise it now. **

**This is my first MinaXMina fic. It came to me in the form of a nightmare after finishing DoS. And after realizing many people might come to like it as much as me, I put my words to paper... So to speak. Take it easy, especially those Yukari purists. Also, I'd love more reviews!**

**Please vote in my poll!**


	2. First day of class

I showed Minako around campus.

First, we went to the Library.

She went gaga over the size of the library.

"OOO! AAAAH!" she cooed at the books.

"You need a library card, Mins…" I said.

"Aw… looks like I don't have enough yen… forgot it at home…" she said.

"You want me to buy you a library card?" I asked.

She smiled.

"Naw, you don't need to do that…" she said.

"No, it's alright… my little "Welcome to school" gift for you…" I said as I went to the counter.

"Can I have a library card for my friend here?" I asked.

"Sure." She said as he fished out a blank card.

"Thanks." I said.

I passed it to Minako, who wrote her credentials down.

"Now, I need two of your pictures… a 1x1 and a wallet sized one…" I said.

"Okay… but what do you need two pictures for?" she said as she gave me two pictures.

"One for the library card, one for me…" I said.

"Oh! So, you like me?" she said teasingly.

"Not exactly…" I said.

"Hmph!" she said as she crossed her arms and looked away.

I laughed.

Then, the librarian gave me the laminated library card.

"Here you go…" I said.

"Thanks!" she said.

"Okay, so go and get your books now…" I said.

She nodded and ran around the library, looking for books like an elementary school student in a candy store.

She took a giant pile of books by J.R.R. Tolkien and borrowed them with her newly bought library card.

I carried it for her and everyone kept looking.

_It's probably due to me holding half the library in my hands…_

We took them to her locker, which was (_coincidentally_) right next to mine.

"Do you read much, Minato?" she asked as I helped her arranger her books.

"Not much… I only read books with pictures in them…" I said.

"Ah… _wimp…_" she muttered.

"What?"

"Ah… Nothing!" she said.

"Hmmm…"

We resumed our tour and I showed her the field.

She wanted to lie down in the grass, but I managed to stop her from doing that.

I showed her the swimming room and she suggested we go skinny dipping.

"Skinny dipping…? What is that?" I said.

"Well, um… check in your cell's dictionary." She said.

I did so.

"_Skinny dipping: taking a swim in the nude…_ are you serious?!" I said.

She shrugs: "Nothing wrong with that, eh?"

_Note to self: Don't go with Minako for a swim…_

"So, shall we?" she asked.

"No!" I said.

We went out and she pouted the whole way.

Until… I took her to the rooftop.

She especially liked the rooftop and made me promise to have lunch with her on the rooftop tomorrow.

"Aw, don't you have any other friends?" I asked.

She made a sour face.

"Nah, the people here are all idiots…" she said.

"Gee, thanks…"

"P-Present company excluded!" she said hastily.

"Hahaha! It's okay…" I said as we walked out.

We went outside the room.

"You know, Minato, you're not like every other guy I've met…" she said.

"What's that suppose to mean?" I asked.

She put out her hands.

"Hey, hey… I only meant that you're a lot nicer and cooler…" she said.

"Cooler? That's a first…" I muttered.

"Yeah, you got your own style… charisma… you don't follow anyone's rules but yours…" she said.

"Okay… I like you too." I said.

She recoiled her head.

"I-I only meant you're a lot nicer than some…" I said.

"Yeah, I know." She said.

"Well, you should go in the room, I need to arrange your stuff… seeing as you're new and all…" I said.

"What does that have to do with arranging a locker?" she said.

"I just feel like it."

She shrugs.

"Whatever floats your boat, O captain." She said, "But no way in HELL am I going inside the room when recess is on! I'm going to buy a candy bar..." she said as she walked thirty steps to the vending machine.

That when Junpei and Kenji ambushed me.

"WHO is that hottie?" they asked.

"That? Minako Arisato." I said.

They both had a glaze in their eyes.

"She's your cousin?" Kenji asked.

"Hells no! We're not related…" I said.

"Dammit! Why do YOU always get the hot girls?" Junpei moaned.

"Um… because he's better looking?" Kenji said.

"Hey! At least I look ten times better than you!" Junpei snarled at Kenji.

"If I'm at a high-way and saw you begging for yen, I'd totally roll the windows up." Kenji said.

"Hey, calm down you two… anyways, what are you here for?" I asked.

"To ask if she's your girlfriend…" Junpei said.

I looked at Minako.

She kicked the vending machine.

"Goddamned candy bar! Come out!" she cursed as she pummeled the vending machine.

She kicked again and landed in her butt.

Then, six candy bars came out.

"Score!" she squealed as she rubbed her bruised butt.

"Hey Minato! I scored six candy bars and you didn't!" she teased.

"Congrats." I said dryly.

"Here, have one." She threw me one.

"Today's my luck day!" she said as she slapped my butt.

"Minako!" I said.

She winked at me.

Then, she went to the room.

Yukari passed by and gave me the dagger look.

Then, she went in.

Junpei and Kenji were staring at me with their jaws wide open.

"Dude, what do you want for her? You want my house? I'll kill my parents and give you my house, just let me have her for a day!" Kenji bartered.

"Can't. She's not mine to give. And who do you think I am? A pimp?" I asked.

"Damn! Damn!" Junpei lamented.

"She is so beautiful…" Kenji said, "How did you two meet?" he asked.

"Elevator. She liked my music." I said.

"Lucky…" Junpei said.

"Yeah, you two seem like the perfect couple… even perfecter than Yukari…" Junpei said.

"There's no such word as _perfecter…_"

"Yeah, well, you two seem right for each other…" Kenji said.

"Ah, no." I said, "I still sorta like Yukari…" I said.

"Ah…" Junpei said, "That's good."

We went in and had our class with Mr. Ekoda.

Minako transferred seats with the girl beside me and we were seatmates now, much to Yukari's disdain.

She slept the entire class.

After classes, we went home together.

We were walking down the Strip Mall, when we passed Yukari.

She gave Minako the dagger eyes and Minako, a good sport, looked her back with equal hostility.

When she passed, she shook her head.

"Well, fuck you too, dragon lady…" She spat at her direction.

"Don't mind her…" I said.

"You know her?" she asked.

"Yes. That was my Ex." I said.

"Huh… no wonder she looks ready to gut me with a knife… she's jealous!" Minako squealed in delight.

"You haven't noticed?"

"I did. When we were at the record store and we were at the hallways…" Minako noted.

"Good girl… You in the mood for Takoyaki?" I asked.

She gave me a fish look.

"I'm ALWAYS in the mood for Takoyaki!" she said.

I bought her a LOT of Takoyaki.

We ate some at the bench there and we ate the rest going home.

We walked until we passed my house.

"Well, this is my home." I said.

"Really?" she said.

"No, I lied to you. Of course this is my home!" I said.

"That's a coincidence, because my home is over there!" she said as she pointed to the house on the left side of my house.

"So… we're neighbors?" I said.

"Yep. That's my room over there…" she said, pointing to the room that overlooked my room.

"Cool. Because that's my room looking at your room… maybe we can send secret messages or something?" I said as I grinned.

"OR, maybe you'll stare at me while I change?" she said.

I looked at her.

"Why the hell would I do that?" I said.

She seemed offended.

"So, my body isn't _good _enough for you?!" she said as she smacked me with her bag.

"No! I find your body in… _perfect proportions!" _I said

She gasped.

"You dirty old man!" she hit me twice with her bag.

"Hey! Fine, I don't want to see your body, okay?" I said.

"What?! What's wrong with my body? Is it too fat for you?!" she asked _yet again._

"Hell no! You have a body that a model would trade her soul and anyone else's soul to have!"

"*GASP* You've been checking me out?!" she said as she put her hands to her hips.

"N-NO! I would never check you out!" I put my hands up.

"Wh-what…?" she seemed ready to cry.

"Alright, fine, I HAVE been checking you out…" I said to keep her from crying.

"You fiend!" she snarled.

"*sigh* You sound like you WANT me to peep…" I said.

She mused about it.

"You're right… sorry, I get crazy ideas when I'm hungry…" she said.

"But you just ate your weight in Takoyaki!" I said.

"Tee hee!" she giggled.

"Alright, see you upstairs… by the window!" I said quickly, so she won't say anything.

We waved goodbye, went in our houses, ran upstairs and said hi again.

She wrote on a sketch pad.

_WHATS ON YOUR MYND?_

I took a sketch pad.

_WELL, HOW COULD WE BE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS AND NOT KNOW ABOUT IT…?_

She opened her mouth and wrote.

_BEATS ME… I SLEEP ALL DAY… JET LAG._

I shook my head.

_YOUR JUST LAZY_

She scrunched her nose.

_YOU ARE SO MEAN! AND YOUR 'YOU'RE' NEEDS AN APOSTROPHE AND RE!_

I raise an eyebrow.

_WTF ARE U EKODA?_

She giggled.

_EKODA TEACHES CLASSIC LITERATURE, DOOFUS_

I pretended to gasp.

_YOU *LISTEN* TO HIS CLASS?!_

She pursed her lips.

_NAH_

Then, she wrote again.

_CAN I TELL U SUMTHIN'?_

I wrote:

_SHURE…_

She smiled and wrote:

_IM HUNGRY_

I gave her the fish-look.

_WTF… I ALREDY KNOW THAT…_

She smiled.

_IM GOING TO EAT AND TAKE A BATH_

I wrote:

_AT TEH SAME TIEM?_

She wrote:

_DOSNT MATTRE. BYE _

She ran off.

I also changed and went back to my room.

I wore a blue shirt and sky blue shorts.

I slept for a minute.

Then, when I woke up, she was wearing pink pajama bottoms and a red shirt, dancing around with an exfoliating mask, dancing to some rock music, using a fluffy slipper as a microphone.

I smiled at her, and she saw me and smiled as well.

I found her antics hilarious.

Then, I went down and ate with Junpei and Akihiko.

I told them about Minako living next door.

"Looks like you have a friend… congrats…" Akihiko said.

"Man, first you get the hottest new student to be your best friend, and now you exchange messages?! What the hell is with your luck?!" Junpei lamented as he offered me 4169 yen to transfer rooms with me, but I wouldn't have any of it.

Then, after saying goodnight to the boys and sending Minako a:

_Gud night Scarlet Moon_

She pouted.

_Same 2 U, Azure Skie!_

She then winked and went on with her crazy dance.

I couldn't wait for another crazy day…

With my best friend, Minako Arisato…

* * *

**A/N: Come on, people, show some common courtesy and review!**

**It's only considerate that you do...**


	3. Tokyo Drift

_(04/12/10)_

I woke up at the usual time and opened my window.

There was a large storm or a small typhoon outside…

"Good grief…" I muttered.

It seemed okay yesterday, now it looks like a FrankenStorm hit the city…

_In this torrent, I'd be lucky to get through my front porch._

I turned the television on.

"_In other news, the bay city area will be expecting heavy storms. The mayor of the said city has declared no classes from April 12 to April 16 as several areas have been severely flooded. In sports-" _I turned the television off.

_Thank god we live on the higher up…_

Minako looked sleepy as she did the same thing.

She looked very cute without her pony tail and looked sexy wearing oversized glasses.

She wrote on her sketchpad.

_NO CLASS :D A DAY AFTER THE FIRST DAY AND NO CLAZ!_

I yawned.

_I KNO DAT ALREADY… IS IT BECOZ OF UR LUCK?_

She scribbled.

_THAT'S DA DEMON EYE! SO WAT DO WE DO NOW?_

I looked outside and scribbled.

_THERES NO FLOOD HERE…_

She frowned.

_BUMMER… I WUZ LOOKIN' 4WARD 2 TEH SWIMMIN' POOL_

I laughed.

_WOULDN'T IT BE EASIER IF WE JUST CHATTED ON FACEBUK?_

She scoffed.

_FB IS 2 DAM OVER8TED…_

I scrawled on the sketchpad.

_WANNA COME OVER OR SUMTHIN'?_

She nods.

_OK, BUT DON'T GET ANY IDEAS BUSTER!_

I wrote:

_NOT LIKELY. -_-_

She went out and ran to my place.

In her pajamas. In the middle of a storm.

You could imagine Junpei's shock.

He probably gawked at Minako as I pushed him aside and let Minako in.

"So… nice crib, pimp…" she mused, "Any food here?" she said.

"Yeah, in our fridge…" I said.

"Don't mind if I do…" she said as she opened our fridge and took out a cold bottle of milk and some Froot Loops.

"Please, help yourself, my Queen!" I said mockingly, "Does your aunt know you're here?" I said.

"Naw… who cares? She won't get mad…" she said as she shoveled a spoonful of Froot Loops into her mouth.

"H-Hey M-Minako-san… I've heard all about you!" Junpei said as his eyes wandered.

"Er… Hi." She said.

She went to me, "Who's the pervert?"

"Junpei." I said.

"Well, please tell him to quit undressing me with his eyes, it's creepy as hell…" she muttered as her jasmine-sweet breath wafted to my nose.

"Hey Junpei, quit creeping her out." I said.

"Who? Me?" he said.

Minako rolled her eyes, "No, he's talking to the wall! Of course you! Any OTHER Junpei you know around here?" she said.

"Just sayin'…" his eyes drop to Minako's red shirt.

"Hey buddy! Eyes up here!" Minako said.

"S-sorry!" he said.

"No! Buy me a cake, or else!" she hissed.

"Or else what?" he said.

"Or else, I'll say that you're a sex deviant and a decadent Sodomite! Now get your fade paddy ass on the road and fetch me a STRAWBERRY CAKE!" she screamed.

"Yes ma'am! One strawberry cake coming right up!" Junpei said as he ran outside in his boxers.

"I swear…" she muttered.

"Now what do we do?" I asked.

She mused while she bit on her spoon.

"Well, my auntie owns a shit car, maybe we can take it out for a joyride?" she suggested while chewing on Froot Loops.

"Yeah, sure, and take a nice cruise over to Tokyo, get some _Unagi _and _Maki_ at an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet and go to a maid café and have a nice cup of tea! Oh, and maybe go to the Atlus building and meet the developers of Perso-" I yelled in mockery.

Her eyes shined.

"No. No way! There is NO WAY I am going there!"

"Pleeeeaaaasssseee?" she said as she hugged me.

"You must be out of your fucking mind if you think I'm going to Tokyo!"

She gave me a cute puppy dog eyes, which may unsettle some, as her red eyes ARE intimidating, but I found them really adorable.

Next thing I know, I was wearing my windbreaker while she wore a knit hat, gloves, a pea-coat and pants with high cut shoes and we were standing inside her garage as she uncovered the car.

"*Gasp*"

"Cool, eh? Meet _Mutsuhito!_" she said.

"This is a beaut!" I said.

Her auntie's "shit car" was a beautiful 1969 Dodge Charger.

It had a sleek black paint job and a white paint job splitting the car from the hood.

It also had a red sun on the top.

"Let's go!" she said as she put one hand on the hood and tried to do a hood slide, but fell flat on her butt.

"Owww…" she moaned.

"Come on, Bo Duke, you could hardly navigate the hood of your car…" I said.

"What do you suggest then?" she said, struggling to stand as I held her hand to help her up.

"Well, I could- Wow, your hands are so soft!" I said as I felt her hands.

"Thanks." She said.

"Anyway, my uncle taught me how to drive, so I'll drive, okay?" I said.

I turned the key to the ignition as I gunned it.

I drove smoothly and calmly.

We passed by Junpei, who held a plastic with a box.

We pulled up beside him.

He seemed suspicious, so I unrolled the window.

"Minato?!" he said.

Minako took the cake.

"Thanks!" Minako said.

"H-Hey, wait!" he said.

"What?" I said.

"Where are you guy's going?"

"Tokyo." I said.

"Can I come?" he asked.

Minako sniffed, "No!" she said.

"Please?" he said.

"Go home!" she said as she pedaled the car.

"Whoa!" I said as the car lurched forward.

I took control.

"How are you going to eat with no-"

She dug in with her hands and ate.

"Never mind…"

"Ya want shum?" she said.

"Uh, no, it's fi-" she shoves a fistful of cake in my mouth.

I forcefully swallowed it as I sucked on her fingers. (I didn't mind ONE BIT.)

"S-Since when have you learned to drive?!" she said.

"Since I was five years old, on my family forklift… those were the times…" I said.

"Hahahaha! I guess your mama must still wuv wittle Minato! Hahahaha! Does she still wash your undies?" she said jokingly as she punched me in the arm.

I smirked.

"My mom and dad died eleven years ago in a car crash…" I said solemnly.

She abruptly stops laughing.

"Gosh… I didn't know, Min… Sorry… I was just joking around…" she said.

She bowed her head and seemed guilty.

I smiled.

"Do one thing for me, Mina, and I'll forgive you." I said.

Her face brightened up.

"Anything!" she said.

I smiled.

"You know what to do." I said.

"Oh…" her face glowered, "Okay then…" she said.

She lifted her shirt, revealing a cup B lacy red bra.

She was about to pull down the bra, when I decided not to look…

"Oh my GOD!" I screamed, shielding my eyes, almost mowing down a STOP sign.

After that…

"Minako, are you out of your mind?!" I said.

"Isn't this what you want? A boob flash?!" she said.

"No!"

"Then what? I'll do anything… please, just forgive me for being so insensitive!" she bawled on my chest.

I held her chin.

"Okay. Then give me a smile." I said.

"What?"

"You heard me."

She lowered her head.

"Like THIS?" she said as she gave me a BIG smile.

I couldn't resist laughing.

"Yep! Like that! I hate seeing you sad… the both of us have been through hard times… I felt no offense, so just calm down, okay?" I said.

"Thank you, Blue!" she said.

"Blue? Haha! Sure thing, Red… I'll pay for the first round of Maki!" I promised and she immediately beamed.

"And… you have some icing in your… _bosom_."

We went into Tokyo and we were intrigued by the city lights…

I brought my credit card (with 999,999,999 yen I farmed from Tartarus… and excluding the armor, weapons and other sellable junk I can… well, sell…) and paid for a round of assorted sushi, takoyaki and puffer fish.

I also ordered Blue lemonade myself and Red cherry juice for Minako and I…

After that, we went to a pizza place and she begged me to buy the '_Monster Mozzarella Munster _', which I obliged, since I was still rather hungry.

Then, she dragged me to a comic con, which I only came in since they had the latest _Walking Dead _comics.

I bought the collector's set and had them signed.

She bought _Suikoden 3 Manga _and _Bearsona 3 Komiks _ and we went on our way.

She dragged me, yet again, to a maid café, where she ordered three frappe's and a cappuccino for me.

We then went to a casino, where I had to bribe a guard to let us in.

Minako is really good at playing poker and roulette!

We won several chips and cashed them in.

I joked about her being a gold digger and she laughed.

We talked about school, our past loves and her time at Writer's camp.

"This one time at Writing camp, we weren't allowed to go swimming at the lake, but we did and it was so fun!" she said.

"Cool." I said.

"And this other time at…"

"Damn… it's getting dark…" I said.

"Minato… how about we sleep here at Tokyo for the night?" she said.

"Are you joking? You want your aunt to kill you?" I said.

"Uh, like that old bag will try! She won't, the lazy hag never goes out during rainy days…" she said as her red irises glazed, like a hungry vampire.

"Well… fine… but I choose the hotels!" I said.

"Sure."

We went to the _Sagiri_ Hotel.

I went to the front desk.

"Yes sir, how may I help you?" he said.

"Yeah, one room for me and the little lady here for the night…" I said.

"Sorry, we don't admit minors here…" he said.

"Listen, we need to stay over…" I said, "Just please…" I shook his hand and in it was 10,000 yen, "Find us some shade…" I said.

He looked left and right.

"This way, sir." He said.

"Thanks."

We went in a first class suite.

She jumped on the fluffy bed and watched TV.

"How can you NOT call your auntie?" I said.

"Aw, don't be such a stick in the mud!" she said.

"Says a girl who goes to Tokyo with someone she barely knows…" I muttered.

I decided to call Akihiko.

_In the boarding house…_

_Akihiko and Junpei were watching a porno._

_Well, at least Junpei was…_

"_Oh! Oh yeah! Oh yeah, baby, you are soooo good…" _the girl said.

"_Yeah, I'm the best…" _the guy said.

"…Oh! That was a tit!" Junpei said.

"_Give it to me! YES!"_

"Oh, I'll give it to you…" Junpei said.

"_Don't you love my sexy body?!" _

"_Oh, yes I do!" _Junpei grunts.

"_Yeahhhh… tell me you're a nasty girl!" _a deep macho voice says.

"Ugh!" Junpei groans in disgust.

"_Yeahhh… I've been a BAD, BAD GIRL!"_

"_Oh, yeah, lick my hairy ass! Spank it!" the man said._

"Man, shut the fuck up!" Junpei yells.

"Junpei, I'm really uncomfortable watching this with you…" Akihiko said.

"Shhh! This is a normal part of growing up! Learn to like it!" Junpei said.

"I have the feeling you like it too much… and put your pants up!" Akihiko yells.

"Man…"

"By the way, where is Minato? I haven't seen him all day…" Akihiko said.

"He went to Tokyo." Junpei said.

"Yeah right… if he's there, I bet you a thousand yen he's not." Akihiko said.

"Deal!" Junpei said.

_Riiiing! Riiiing!_

"Yo, Senpai!" I said.

"Minato?! Where are you? Junpei said you went off to Tokyo, but I didn't believe him… where are you?" he asked.

"Long story, I am at Tokyo… say hello to Minako." I pressed loudspeaker.

"Hello." She said.

"Damn! Here, Junpei…" it sounded like yen pieces.

"_Fuck me! YES!" _

"What is that?" Minako said.

"N-Nothing! We're watching a nature show!" Akihiko stammered.

"_Blow your wad on my tits!"_

Minako blinked.

"Anyway, Minako and I will be staying here for the night, so don't expect me home, okay?" I said.

"Sure… hey, cut it ou-"

"Minato! Bro, where the hell are you?!" he said.

"_Play with my hairy balls!"_ a man screamed from the other line.

"I'm at Tokyo." I said.

"Damn! With Minako?" he said.

"Yeah. We're at a hotel." I said.

"How come you get all the luck?!" he said.

"Hey, shut your trap about this, okay? I'll get you a… key chain, just don't be spreading any rumors!" I said.

"I won't…" he said.

"_Oh yeah, lick my ears!" a macho man said._

"Are you watching porn?" I asked.

"N-No!"

"Okay, see ya." I hung up, "_Banana slammers…"_

"I know the last line of that porno…" Minako said.

"Yeah?"

"_Spank me daddy! Spank me!" _she imitated a voice.

_If Minako was my daughter, even in an alternate universe, I would be aroused._

"You shouldn't watch that…" I said.

"Aw, you're like my aunt!" she said.

"Okay, I need to sleep… we need to haul ass at the crack of dawn!" I said.

We slept in the king bed.

_I really have to admit… sleeping with Minako, even when we were separated by pillows, seemed so right… and it felt a bit weird, since we now know each other more…_

Then, I woke up at six, with Minako hugging me…

I waited for thirty minutes (I love being hugged.) and hauled Minako half asleep to the car.

I paid the front desk and went to the car.

I drove back to Iwatodai and to her house, where it wasn't hard convincing her indifferent aunt that I wasn't a kidnapper and set her back to bed.

Then, I went back home and flopped on my own bed.

When I woke up, I saw a note on her window.

_I REALLY HAD FUN, EMO BOI :*_

Minako… she's one of a kind.

* * *

**A/N: Done! Remember to review!**

**It's really considerate if you do... Have mercy on my fingers!**


	4. Rainy Days

_(04/13/10)_

I woke up at 10:00...

Someone was knocking at my door.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"_MINATO!"_

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"_MINATO!"_

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"_MINATO!"_

I got up and opened the door.

It was Minako.

She wore a scarf, a red turtle neck and a jacket.

"Minako? What are you doing here?" I asked.

She frowned.

"How about a "Good Morning"?" she said.

"Good morning, what are you doing here?" I said.

"Can't I visit?" she said.

"Well, sure…" I said, "Let's eat breakfast?" I said.

"I already ate, but sure…" she said.

We went downstairs, where Akihiko and Junpei were watching TV.

"Good morning." Akihiko said.

"Sup dude?" Junpei said.

"Hey, good morning, guys!" I said.

"What's happening?" Minako said.

"Hey, your girlfriend's visiting you! Isn't that great?" Junpei said.

"She's not my girlfriend!" I snap.

"Yeah!" Minako supplied.

"Anyway, Akihiko-senpai, what don't we go out and look for some girls?" Junpei said.

Akihiko scoffed.

"Not happening." Akihiko said.

"Hey, what ever happened to Chidori?" I asked.

"Who's Chidori?" Minako asked.

"Junpei's first and probably last girlfriend." I said.

"Waddya mean _last_?!" Junpei said.

"Yeah, where is she?" Akihiko asked.

Junpei frowned.

"She… she's living with Mitsuru-senpai…" Junpei said, "And I need to keep my options open… so I might have to cut her loose…"

"She just returned from the dead and you say that?" I blurted and Minako eyed me.

"Uh… I'm using a figure of speech." I said.

"WHAT other options?" Minako said, "Your blow-up doll?"

"Hey, I'll have you know I keep tabs on my other wimmen!" Junpei said.

"Former inmates and housekeepers?" Minako said.

"H-Hey!"

"She's not an 'option', she's a lady." Minako said.

"Exactly!" Akihiko said.

Minako went to the seat beside me and ate three bowls of crab corn soup.

Then, we spent the entire day watching TV and drinking soda.

(_04/14/10_)

Minako went our place again.

We watched Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Harry Potter series and the Twilight saga for the whole day, since Akihiko and Junpei decided to tour the flooded city and left the note _Gone fishin'_.(Don't ask.)

Then, we fell asleep on the couch.

When we woke up, it was already the fifteenth.

Minako decided to check back at her house and she after she checked, she brought her laptop and used the wireless internet.

"So… what's the name of the Dragon Lady?" she asked.

"Who?"

"You know… your ex?" she said.

"Ah… Yukari Takeba." I said.

She tapped on her laptop.

"Ah… she has a nice profile pic…" she muttered, "And you? What's your name in FB?"

"Minato Arisato." I said.

"Figures…" she mutters.

She tapped.

"Your alternate name is _Persona? _Are you insane?" she said.

"Yeah…" I said.

"Why don't you call her?" she said.

"Call… _Yukari_? Are you on drugs? Why the hell would I do that?" I said.

"Because! Just do it!" she said.

"No way." I said.

"Pleeeeaaaasssseeeee?" she said as she gave me her beautiful red eyes.

"…Fine!" I snarled as I grabbed the phone.

I tapped three numbers.

"No! I can't do it!" I said.

"Give me that!" she snarled.

She took my phone and dialed it via speed dial.

She waited.

Then, she threw the phone at me.

"Hello?" a sweet voice said.

"Hello! Yukari…?" I said.

"Minato?"

"Uh… hello, Yukari!" I said.

"Um… why are you calling?" she asked.

"I don't know… I just wanted to hear your voice…?" I winced as Minako face palmed herself.

"Uh… Thanks, I guess…" she said.

"So… uh… nice weather we're having, eh?" I said.

"Listen, Minato, I have class right now, so I need to go." She said.

"Uh… we have no classes today…" I said.

"BYE!" she hung up.

I hung my head in shame.

"Didn't go well?" she asked.

"No…" I said.

Then, Akihiko and Junpei arrived.

"Hey guys!" Minako said.

"Hello, Minako-san." Akihiko said.

"Yo, 'Nako." Junpei said.

"How was the fish?" she said.

"Ahhhh… we'd better not talk about it…" Akihiko said.

"Suit yourself."

They sat at the couch.

"So… what happened?" Junpei asked.

"Minato finally grew some balls and called the Dragon Lady." Minako said.

"Well, how did it go?" Akihiko asked.

"Awful!" Minako shouted as she guffawed.

"Haha!" Junpei laughed, "S'bad thing you don't have my skill with women… I would've bagged and tagged Yuka-tan if she was my type! I'm the Lady Killer of Gekkoukan high!" Junpei said.

We all went silent.

"Huh?! Are you high on drugs or something?" Minako said.

"Come to think of it, I think I saw Junpei drink some of the floodwater…" Akihiko muttered.

"His parent's probably dropped him a lot as a child…" Minako said.

"Nah, He probably chewed on his crib…" I said.

"Lead grills?" Minako said.

"Oh yeah." I said.

"Come on guys, gimme a break…" Junpei said.

We chatted about Lord of the Rings.

"Well, who would win in a fight? Legolas or Haldir?" I asked.

"Who the hell is Haldir?" Junpei said.

"Haldir is the Elf from the second movie who helps Rohan fight against the Orc…" Akihiko said.

"Uruk-Hai." Minako corrected.

"Gesundheit." Akihiko said.

"Hell, Legolas would shoot ten arrows faster than you can flick a fly out of a shit..." Junpei said as Minako made a disgusted sound.

"That's a nice topic, considering that I'm eating chocolate…" she mutters.

"Haldir could slice Legolas in half with his great sword!" I said.

"Yeah, take away Legolas' bow and he's nothing." Akihiko said.

"No way could Haldir win, I mean, Legolas is hotter!" Minako said, "Right Junpei?" she asked.

"Uh… I don't know 'bout that…" he said.

"Okay, now, which is the best scene in all of LOTR?" Minako asked.

"Got to be the Battle of the Last Alliance. Great battle scene." Akihiko said.

"No, no… it's got to be the Battle of Morannon." Minako said.

"The Charge of the Rohirrim is the most epic scene of all time…" I said.

"No, I like the Osgiliath scene…"

We all sounded like ubergeeks, so we decided to watch some other movies…

We then watched some killer animal movies…

After five hours of watching, we decided to eat dinner.

"Who would you think is the most dangerous animal that we watched?" Minako asked.

"Gustav. Hands down, a true serial killer." I said.

"Naw, Jaws would chew Gustav like a piece of gum…" Junpei said.

"You guys have got it all wrong, the Anaconda would hunt those two down for sport." Akihiko said.

"You guys are total dunderheads… It's pretty obvious that an Orca would enjoy eating the three of them, especially Jaws, since the Orca ate the shark at the start of the movie." Minako said.

"Well, fine, but about the serial killers… I'll change the topic, who do you think is the most dangerous serial killers in the movies?" Akihiko said.

"Hmmm… I guess Jason from _Friday the 13__th_…" Minako said, "He'll cut you open and let you bleed as he fills a cup of your blood and drink it through his hockey mask." Minako said.

"No, no… I think the lone cannibal from the _Wrong Turn _series is pretty much un-killable… I mean, he's been blown up, shot, hacked and beaten, but he returned to kill them every time." I said.

"You have got to be kidding! Jigsaw from _Saw_ is the all time killer of the world. He traps people and, technically, he doesn't even kill you." Akihiko said.

"How so?" I asked.

"Well, he gives you series of 'tests' and if you fail, you die. But if you win them, you feel much more alive." He said simply.

"That's nothing short of wanton murder." I said.

"Still scary, though…" Minako said.

"No, no,NO! I think you ALL have got it wrong… Freddy from _Nightmare on Elm street _is the all time winner!" Junpei said.

"Aw HELL NO! Take away Freddy's manicured fingernails and he don't stand a chance against Jason!" Minako said.

"You've got to be kidding! Take away Jason's little mask and his little garden knife and Freddy will send him back to Canada!" Junpei said.

"Oh yeah? Chuckie could rip Freddy a new asshole without even trying… Jason would rip Freddy a new vagina!" Minako said and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey! At least Freddy uses his claws! How about Jason? Why does he wear a mask? What does he have to hide?" Junpei argued.

"What's wrong with a mask? At least Jason ain't scared to go to a manicurist! Freddy's probably running away from his manicurist!" Minako said.

They continued bickering for the remainder of the time, then Minako went home.

"Junpei, Minato, I've hired a housekeeper to clean the house, so that Minako wouldn't be disgusted by us…" Akihiko said.

"Well, she causes 60.45% of it…" I mutter.

"Man… she's a fierce one… and her eyes… are so unsettling!" Junpei said.

"Yeah… they look like they could melt you…" Akihiko said.

"What's wrong with her eyes? I find them cute." I said.

They both looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You're a weird one…" Junpei said.

"Says the guy who sleeps with an Anime Pillow!" I said.

"W-What?!"

"Admit it! You sleep with a Bell Dandy pillow!" Akihiko said.

"No! It's a Kagome pillow!" He said

"See?" I said.

"H-Hey!"

I went upstairs.

"Come back here!" he shouted.

I ignored him and went to my room.

There, Minako was watching TV.

She noticed me and began writing.

_NE THING NEW?_

I took my sketch pad.

_WE R GETTING A NUE MAID_

She wrote:

_KEWL WAT ELSE?_

I wrote.

_JUNPEI SLEEPS W/ __A KAGOME PILLOW_

She giggled.

_INUYASHAS GONNA KICK HIS ASS!_

I wrote:

_IKR. WHEN R U SLEEPIN'?_

She wrote:

_L8R_

I wrote:

_IM GOING TO SLP NOW, C U 2MOROW_

She wrote:

_GUD NYTZKIE_

I waved my hand, turned off the lights and slept.

* * *

**A/N: DONE!**

**I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!**

**Guys, kindly take the time to review!**


	5. Cato's Gang

_(04/15/10)_

_Since this was the last day of my 'vacation', I decided to sleep the whole day and made a mental note not to let Minako in, even if she brings a battering ram…_

I slept the entire morning and when I woke up, it was 3:00 P.M. and Minako hasn't visited yet!

So I decided to visit her…

I brought a box of Froot Loops (Minako loves her Froot Loops… well, technically, they're **MY **Froot Loops, but she doesn't care who it belongs to… as long as it can fit in her mouth and can nourish her, she'll declare it as her own…) and a bottle of cold milk, which I poured some red food coloring.

I also grabbed a bowl and a red spoon.

I went to her house and rang the door bell.

I waited for some time.

Then, a rather _short _lady opened the door and looked at me up and down…

She was short at 4'11 and had an indifferent look in her eye.

"Ah… I remember you…" she muttered.

_Minako's aunt is fairly attractive, but now she looks like a Hobbit… the short kind like Pippin Took…_

"Uh… hello, Mrs. Arisato…" I said.

_It felt EXTREMLY weird calling anyone Mr. or Mrs. Arisato!_

"Eh? Bah, the girl is upstairs, just don't be causing no ruckus, boy…" she said.

Then, she looked up.

"_SHIGURE_! YOUR LITTLE BOYFRIEND IS HERE!" she yelled.

_Shigure, huh? Autumn shower…_

"Uh… no need to yell at her, Ma'am… I'll go and wake her up myself…" I said.

She kept muttering as she went to her room.

I ran upstairs and knocked three times.

Then, I slowly opened the door.

Minako was sleeping peacefully as she made small snoring noises.

I crept to her, poured a bowl of Froot Loops with cold, red milk and sat at the end of her bed as I observed her sleep.

_She drools when she sleeps… kinda like me on occasion…_

Then, I pull gently at her toes as she gradually awakens.

"Who-" she said as she kicked me.

"OOAH!" I said as I fell, but miraculously, I held the Froot Loops practically unspilt.

"Yah!" she tried a karate chop on me.

I held up the Froot Loops.

"I come in peace!" I screamed as I used the bowl of Froot Loops as a shield.

"F-Froot Loops?" she said.

"Yeah… sorry to wake you… just a bit worried…" I said.

She rubbed the sleep off her eye.

"Hello, Minato…" she said sleepily as she grabbed the bowl of cereal and wolfed it down.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm good, thank you." she said.

I smiled.

"Why haven't you come over?" I asked.

"Well, because I feel tired at the moment…" she said.

"Oh, you poor thing…" I said.

She made a sad face as I rubbed her head.

She was halfway finished.

"Would you want me to pour you some more?" I asked.

She held out the bowl, "Yes, please."

She seemed… unusually docile.

_Supposedly, some people are more docile after they wake up… Minako must be one of those people…_

I poured her some.

"Thank you." she said.

I rubbed her auburn hair as she purred.

"Um… Minako… I need to tell you something…" I said.

"Yes?" she said, her red eyes softly penetrating me.

"Um… you drool while you sleep…" I said.

_I expected her to punch me, kick me or throw me out headfirst out the window…_

She smiled.

"Sorry… I can't help it…" she said as she blushed embarrassedly.

_Aw! She's making me feel guilty! And she is so cute… after she wakes up…_

"Heh heh… forget it… I drool as well…" I said.

"Well, that makes us the same then…" she smiled.

"Yep…" I said.

"Minato… thanks for coming over…" she said.

"Uh… sure… I mean, you come over all the time… I need to repay the favor…"

"Thank you, my dear friend…" she said.

"Sure…"

I spent the time in her room watching TV with her as we (mainly her) ate Froot Loops and Guava jelly sandwiches…

Then, I went home.

Akihiko was talking to a woman.

The woman is very beautiful… like an Elf Lady from Lord of the Rings…

She was tall, strong looking and had the most beautiful blue eyes…

The woman had short fair hair with bangs that covered a scar on her left brow.

And when she smiled, her teeth were the brightest shade of white.

She looked very ageless and I could've mistaken her for Akihiko's girlfriend.

"Ah, he's here… Minato, this is Leah Otsuji… she's out new housekeeper…"

"Hello." She said.

"Uh… Minato my is name, Hi?" I stammered. "I mean, Hi, my name is Minato…" I said.

She giggled.

"Leah just came back from her tour of duty in Africa as a medic… she's working for us now, since she doesn't feel like retiring yet…" Akihiko said.

"Akihiko! You're making me feel old!" she complained, "Hmph! I'm too young to retire! I'm still 21!" Leah cried.

"Alright, calm down…" he said.

"So… waddya feel like eating, kid?" she said.

"Actually, why don't you get settled in? My stomach's about to burst from all the Froot Loops…" I said.

"That's a good idea, Leah, your room is down the hall." Akihiko said as he picked up her duffel bag.

They walked to her room.

I went to my room and I looked at her window.

She posted a card that said:

_TNX BESTIE _

I smiled and winked at her.

_NE THING FOR U_

_(04/16/10)_

I woke up at six and began to prepare.

I ate some of the bacon-cheese sandwich that Leah made for us and I totally loved it.

I walked outside, where Minako waited for me.

We began chatting as we walked to the train station and rode the monorail.

"So… how's your new housekeeper?" she asked.

"She's… a looker…" I said.

"Ah… how about me?" she asked.

"Minako, you know how I hate comparing people…" I said.

"Come on…" she pleaded.

"Okay… you're very cute and pretty." I said.

She blushed.

"Ohhhh… Thank you… you have a crush on me?" she said.

"Uh… not exactly…"

"Hmph!" she crossed her arms and looked away.

"Hey, don't be mad… _Shigure…" _ I said.

She made a face.

"So, you heard what Auntie called me?" she said.

"Yeah…"

"Well, good. My bestie should know." She said as she cuddled my arm.

I saw Yukari glaring at us from the corner of my eye as I gave her an apologetic smile.

Minako looked back and giggled.

"Dragon Lady's jealous!" she whispered.

"Isn't it obvious?" I said.

We went out at the stop and walked to school.

"Well, I should head to the library to return the books…" she said.

"Sure… meet you at the classroom…"

Then, I bumped into four guys by accident.

Two were small, around 5'4 and the other two were medium sized at 5'6…

"Oh, sorry…" I said as I looked at them.

One of the small bullies pushed me.

Since I fought with _countless _shadows, Mayas stronger than these guys, the push just pushed me back, but it had no strength to it.

"Uh… okay…" I said.

"You think you're tough?" he said gruffly.

_He had short brown hair fashioned into a pompadour and he has spots on his forehead._

"Yeah! You blue haired… Emo!" a medium sized bully said.

_This one had blonde hair styled into curtains and has pimples across his forehead._

"Very clever… no one's called me emo before." I said sarcastically.

"Oh, so you trying to be funny?" another small bully said.

_This one had chestnut hair that he messily swept back…_

"Nope. Am I?"

"Oh, Zombie-boy's asking for a beat down!" another medium sized bully said.

_He had very short brown hair and a rather baby face…_

"Bring it." I said.

"Go get him, Cato!" the blonde kid said to the kid who pushed me.

"Yeah, do what Hide says!" the chestnut haired boy cried.

"Right on, Quan!" the babyface said to the chestnut haired bully.

"Shut it, Hortez…" Quan said.

I stood there, ready to fight as several students gathered.

As Cato advanced, Minako suddenly intervened.

"Alright, you two, please stop fighting!" she said as she smiled.

"Eh?! Who are you?" Cato said.

"I'm Minako and I'm here to stop you." she said.

Then, two girls came by.

"Ohohoho, look, Pink, it's a vampire!" the one with yellowish hair said.

"Hahaha! Wait, the Volturi are coming!" Pink, the one with PINK hair, said.

That got Minako.

"What did you say…Clown?" she snarled.

"You heard me! The vampire lovers defending each other!" Pink said as she snickered.

"Shut up, you cunt!" Minako hissed.

She tried to lunge at them.

I held her back.

"Come on, just leave us alone… you idiots THAT starved of attention?" I said.

"Oh, after I hit you, you're the one who'll need attention!" he said as he raised his hand for a punch.

"What's going on here?" an annoying voice said.

"Mr. Ekoda!" Cato said.

"Cato, are these students troubling you?" he said as he addressed Minako and I as if we were petty criminals.

"Yes sir." Cato lied.

"As for you two… these students moved here to start over, not to be bullied by the likes of you."

"You have got to be kidding me old man!" Minako said.

"What did you say?" he said.

"You heard m-" she said, but I covered her mouth.

"Nothing sir!" I said.

"Your impertinence upsets me!" Ekoda shouted.

"That'll be enough, Mr. Ekoda." A voice said.

"Ah, Ms. Toriumi… I assume you're here to apprehend these students?" he said.

_Wow… apprehend… as if we were criminals… this guys' an even bigger dick than I thought…_

"Actually, quite the opposite, Minato was walking by peacefully, but Cato and his little friends here had to escalate things by pushing Minato." She said.

"Where is your evidence?" he said.

"If you want, I can check with the principal and the Directress and see the surveillance tapes..." she said.

Ekoda suddenly tensed up.

"Uh… Er… let's not drag Kirijo-san into this…" he said, "For now, I will be keeping an eye on these two…"

"Don't pick on them." Ms. Toriumi said.

"Alright… the six of you, go to your classrooms…" he said and they left.

_After_ _that_…

"I swear… that guy's got a tube up his patsy ass…" Minako murmured.

"He's the worst…" Ms. Toriumi said, "Now, you two head on out as well… I want you two to join the Badminton club on the 23rd, okay?" she said, "I need members… I'm the moderator."

"Deal." We both said and she smiled.

"Run along now."

And we did.


	6. Sports Club

_(04/23/10)_

Minako and I went to school and immediately signed up for Badminton club.

Ms. Toriumi smiled as we wrote our names in the members list.

"Thank you." Ms. Toriumi said.

"No problem, Miss… but I thought the school only allowed a limited amount of clubs?" I said.

"Well, ever since _Ekoda," _She said his name as if he was a disgusting worm, "Cut down the Tennis club, there's been a vacancy… in fact, some of the members are former Tennis club members… like Rio here…" she points to a good looking sporty girl.

She has long black hair and gray eyes.

She really looked good… her skin is pale… like cold milk.

She is memorable, since I've always seen her not wearing the proper uniform…

_I wonder how she gets away with it…_

"Huh? Oh, hey there…" she said, "I'm Rio Iwasaki… I've been here last year, but I don't think we met…" she said.

"I don't think we did…" I shook hands with her.

"Rio… an unusual name for a girl…" I said.

"Yeah, well, my parents loved to travel, so…" she stammers.

"Huh…"

She glared at me.

"Uh… better if I don't ask…" I said.

I saw a blonde gangly young man beside Rio.

"Kenji? What are you doing here? Are you lost?"

"Yo Minato… Rio forced me to join… said I needed the exercise… as if!" he said.

"Well, you DO need it! You're like a walking scarecrow!" Rio said.

"Hey! Walking scarecrow?! I resent that!" they began to argue.

I shook my head and saw a small figure clumsily trying to swing a racket.

"No, no, swing harder, Fuuka!" Mr. Ono said, his golden helm shining in the sun.

It was Fuuka.

"Fuuka!" I said.

She turns.

"Minato-kun! And Minako-chan as well!" she said.

"Uh… hello… I don't think we've met before…" Minako said.

Fuuka fidgeted.

"Oh… um… I'm sorry about that… my name is Fuuka Yamagishi… I'm a good friend of Minato-kun here…" she said.

"I see… you also hang out with the Dragon Lady, don't you?" Minako said.

"Dragon Lady…?"

"She means Yukari…" I said.

"Oh! That's right… I need to say that Yukari really doesn't like you right now, Minako-chan…" Fuuka said.

"Good." Minako said, "Please tell her that the feeling is mutual."

Then, Ms. Toriumi called our attentions.

"Alright, now, we have a new club manager, Yuko." She said.

"Yuko?! I thought she was the manager of the Kendo team?!" one of the second years said.

"I quit. The coach said that they're men and they need to do their own stuff from now on..." Yuko said.

"Well, that accounts for about 16 members all in all… 18, if you count Mr. Ono and I…" she said.

Applause.

"Right, what should we call ourselves?"

"How about the Tennis club?" one said.

"BO-RING!" Minako said.

"How about the Club That Beats All The Other Clubs And Still Smiles?" Fuuka said.

Utter silence.

"Okay… how about the May Sighs On The Feathered Projectile In The Deep Blue Sky?"

This was ridiculous.

"Uh, Fuuka, I admit your skill with technology and cooking are great, but your naming skills leave something to be admired…" Ms. Toriumi said.

"I still say the name "Badminton Club" is cool…"

"BO-RING!" Minako said.

"Well, what can you come up with?!" he said,

"How about… _The Racket Legion_?"

"Splendid! The Roman culture is great, but still, the Japanese culture beats it easily…" Mr. Ono muttered.

"Then it's settled… we are now officially _The Racket Legion_." Ms. Toriumi announced.

A cheer went up.

Then, Ms. Toriumi's face melted into disgust, then into fake pleasantries.

"Mr. Ekoda… an _honor_ to have you here…" she said _honor_ as if she had to vomit out a broken glass bottle.

"Attention!" Ekoda said, but no one really did.

Behind Ekoda were the bullies and three cheerleaders.

"I'd like you to meet the elite members, if all are not elite, of our basketball team… Cato, Quan, Hide and Hortez. These beautiful young women are our head cheerleaders, Pink, Michonne and our newest student, Yo." He said.

_Those were the bullies from the other day… plus a new member, a jet black haired girl who seemed to wear too much makeup…_

"Yo." We said right back at him.

"What did you say?!" Ekoda flared.

"Yo…?"

"Why, how dare yo-"

"Mr. Ekoda, is there a reason why you're here?" Ms. Toriumi asked.

"Quite right. This will be the team to win the regional meet, so I wanted these… _kids,_ to see what they're up against." Ekoda said haughtily.

"Are you quite sure of that?" Ms. Toriumi said.

"Quite sure. The skill of my team is excellent." He said.

"Please leave, _Mr. Ekoda._" She said.

"Alright, but you and this rabble will see our might soon enough, I tell you." he said, then left with the bullies.

Ms. Toriumi flipped him the bird and we all laughed.

He turned around and she waved at him.

When he turned around, she did it again.

"The nerve of that little man…" she muttered.

"I agree… if I found the _Masamune _blade, he'd be a pile of blood on the floor…" Mr. Ono said.

"Alright! Now, all of you can go home for now… remember we meet every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays!" Ms. Toriumi said.

"Goodbye and Thank you, Ms. Toriumi!" we all said.

We went out and walked home together.

She kept looking back but I was lost in thought.

"So… what now?" she said, raising her voice..

"Eh? What do you mean?" I asked.

"What will we do about our lovely dovey relationship?" she said as she pinned me to a chain-link fence.

"Minako! What the hell!?" I said.

She looked straight in my eyes and darted them sideways.

I looked and I saw Yukari walking behind us with Fuuka.

"Uh… Uh… Oh! Help!" I said.

Minako gripped me.

"Look, make her jealous…" she hissed.

Yukari walked towards us.

"Minato, who's this?" she points to Minako.

"_This_?!" Minako said.

"Hold on you two… Minako is just a friend." I said.

"Friend? Yeah right… Minato, why are you doing this?" she said.

"Doing… what?" I said.

"Making me jealous." She said flatly.

"We are doing no such thing!" Minako said.

"Shut up, _tramp_."

"Who are you calling a _tramp?!_ Do you think I'm your little maid or something?!" Minako hissed.

"Please, Yukari, there's nothing going on between us… we were just horsing around…" I said.

"Don't you two horse around enough in bed?" Yukari said.

"Wha-"

"Listen, we don't need to hear this, so we'll leave." Minako said.

"Minato, you forgetful, cheating little shit…" Yukari hissed.

"We're going…" I said, "And besides, you seem to hate me anyways… maybe I should've died!" I said in her face, "Let's go!" I grabbed Minako and went off.

When we were ways off from Yukari…

"Don't do that, please." I said.

"That was good. Anyway, what is between you and Yukari?" she asked.

"I'll tell you when the time is right."

"Ah… okay… bye!" she said as she went in her house.

I went in my house and Junpei, Akihiko and Leah were there…

"Dude!" Junpei said.

"Hey, where've you been?" Akihiko said.

"Badminton practice…" I said.

"Badminton eh? Healthy sport, if you opt to develop your arms…" Akihiko said.

"Man, sucks to be you…" Junpei said.

"You should try joining a club, Junpei…" Leah said.

"I agree… better than sitting here, watching porn all the time…"

Junpei glowered.

"I… I decided not to watch anymore…" he said.

"I don't believe you, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt…" Akihiko said.

"The benefit of the- wha?"

"You know…"

"Forget it… remember how we came to this house?" Junpei said.

"Yeah… we searched for days and finally found a house at the 31st…" Akihiko said.

"Yup…"

We ate some of the delicious food Leah made and went to bed.


	7. Exam week

_(04 /28/10)_

_Saturday…_

It was the afternoon classes, Ms. Toriumi's Composition 12.

We listened as she taught us all about subject-verb agreements.

"…And that's how it works. Hey, Junpei! You better pay more attention to your school work!" she said, "I know that you have a long weekend ahead of you, but that doesn't mean that you can slack off… why, after Golden week, you have exams!" Ms. Toriumi said.

Minako, who was fast asleep beside me, suddenly awoke.

"Whoa!" she said as she rubbed her head.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I had a bad dream… We were at class and after Golden week, there would be exams… thank goodness I woke up!" she said.

"Er… that wasn't a dream…" I said.

"What do you mean…?" she said.

"It means, Minako, that you have exams." Ms. Toriumi said.

"Eeek!" she squealed and everyone laughed, especially me.

"It's not funny!" she yelled at all of us.

"It IS funny!" Junpei said, amid laughing like a madman.

"You know what's funnier? The word 'Stupei'… it's the combination of 'Junpei' and 'Stupid', which are both synonyms of stupidity!" she said.

Everyone laughed harder.

"Aw, gimme a break!" Junpei yelled.

"Wow… twenty points for that, Minako! I have a feeling you'll ace the exam." Ms. Toriumi said as she notes it down, "And I guess you can consider your reputation as a class clown broken, Junpei…"

"Noooo!" Junpei moaned.

"Haha! Good one, Minako!" Rio said.

"Right on!" Quan said.

_Of the four bullies from earlier, only Quan and Pink are in our class… they also seem pretty reasonable…_

Then, when we were dismissed for the day, I walked Minako to the Beef Bowl restaurant, where I treated her to a mega monster meat bowl, since chewing on a slab of meat seems to always calm her down…

I ordered two beef bowls and she hardly touched hers.

"Why are you so downcast?" I asked, "You're making me feel insensitive."

She seemed dazed.

"Oh… sorry… I could only imagine what can happen… I'll fail… There's no doubt about it…" she said.

"Aw, don't say that… you're the smartest girl I know…" I said.

"Really?" she said, eyes glinting.

"Well, I know two girls, but I'm not gonna go there… the point is, you're giving up before you even study! I mean, believe in yourself…" I said.

That got her thinking.

"I promise to study harder!" she yelled as she mauled a piece of meat.

"I will pass the exam and be the smartest person on the planet! I will rule the world!" She yelled.

Everyone looked at her.

"Kneel before me, slaves!" she hissed to a couple as they scurried off.

"Alright, your majesty, I think you just chewed on tainted meat…" I said.

"Have not." She sniffed, "I'm going to study!" she said.

"Sure."

We went home and I studied for a few hours before going to sleep.

Before that, however, I observed Minako was dutifully studying, writing notes, which made me smile for no reason, until she saw me and smiled as she eagerly showed me a drawing of Yukari as a human-dragon hybrid.

I shook my head and went to sleep.

The next day, I studied as well as I saw Minako asleep.

Then, I took a study break, I saw Minako asleep.

I ignored it and studied again and when I took another break at 2:20 PM, she was still asleep!

So, I gave her a call.

A very sleepy voice answered.

"What?"

"Minako, why aren't you studying?" I asked.

"Huh…? Wha-what are ya talking about? I'm studying here…" she lied.

"I'd be more convinced if you weren't lying on your back in your bed…" I said.

"Hey, it's true." She said.

"Well, if you want me to help you study, then you're free to come over." I offered, expecting her _NO_.

"Sure thing, bestie…" she said as she stood up, wore a shirt and shorts, popped four _Double Mint_sand marched off.

She arrived with a backpack.

She looked so good… wearing large black glasses and a big red shirt and denim pants…

Her wild, red hair and pasty white skin made her look like a _Celtic _tribe princess…

"Let's go…" I said.

"Sure…" she said and we went to my room.

Junpei, usually dead asleep, which came as a surprise that he was holding a book.

Minako was surprised herself.

"Junpei? Holding a book? When he doesn't have to? Am I still asleep?" Minako muttered.

"Shhhh!" Junpei said, looking around.

"What the?" I said.

"It's Leah! She forced me to study! Go away or it'll get worse!" he said with raw fear in his voice.

Akihiko passed by, holding a book in one hand and a protein shake in the other.

"We should've hired Leah AGES ago…" he snickered.

"Thanks, Aki!" a voice said from downstairs.

"We'll get moving…" I said.

We went to my room and studied.

"Well, here's a doozy! Who was the scientist who invented the _Richter scale?" _I asked.

"Dunno." She said.

"Okay… moving on, who is the _Mongol _leader who united the _Mongol horde _and invaded China?" I asked.

"Mongolio?" she said.

I fought the overwhelming urge to slam my face on the desk and moved on.

"Who is the writer of _Huckleberry Finn _and _Tom Sawyer?_" I asked.

"Tom… Huckleberry?" she said, wincing as if there was a -_slight_- chance she'd be right…

"Wrong…" I said.

"Man…" she said.

"Alright, here, listen to this…" I gave her the complete annals of _The Renaissance literature_.

I gave such a nice talk about how _Shakespeare_ made several works, all good ones.

Then, I spoke of the Industrial Era poets, who highly opposed of the Industrialization period.

Then, I talked about the poets.

"I especially liked John Keats and Lord Byron… But my favorite one of all is J. R. R. Tolkein."

Then, I looked at her, and I FINALLY noticed her sleeping.

_I had a bad habit of just reading without looking at the audience… probably why we should always look at the audience every time we read…_

I fought the urge to cold cock her with the book for ingloriously making me read my heart out.

Instead, I ran my hands on her hair, planning to yank it.

But when I did, I felt how immaculately soft and lush it was…

I kept touching it, until she awoke.

"What are you doing?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

"I- Uh… I was reading to you and you fell asleep!" I yelled.

"Sorry."

"It's worse than I thought… you're worse than Junpei…" I said.

"Hey! That ain't true!" she said.

"Oh yeah? Here's a question: Who was the greatest Japanese Warlord in the _Sengoku era _that subjugated and nearly conquered all of Japan?" I said, really sure she'd get it wrong.

"Hah, super easy, that'd be Nobunaga Oda." She said, scoffing in my face.

"Huh?! How did-"

"Of course, when you have an entire genma army and demon allies, it'd be easy to-"

"Who assassinated him?" I asked.

"Mitsuhide Samanosuke Akechi."

"Who was the Emperor of the _Meiji _era?" I asked.

"Emperor Mutsuhito." She said.

"The unifier of Japan?"

"Hideyoshi Toyotomi." She said.

"The Leader of Russia in the World War II?"

"Joseph Stalin."

"Amazing… the president of America during the World War II?"

"FDR." She said.

"How did you know?!" I asked.

"Well, Nobunaga Oda used his Demon army to conquer Japan, but Samanosuke Akechi, whose name was Mitsuhide, killed him with the Demon Gauntlet."

"How about the next question?"

"Well, Auntie's car is named Mutsuhito, so…"

"How about the other question?"

"Hideyoshi is my favorite general from _Kessen_." She put simply.

"As for the-"

"Who doesn't know Joseph Stalin? He's the coolest Dictator in the world!" she said, "For the FDR thing, I have an axe named FDR."

I had a wicked idea.

"You have an idea…" she said, "And I don't want any part of it!" she said playfully as she tried to escape.

I caught her as she went out and threw her to my bed as I pinned her down.

"I have an idea… and you WILL be a part of it."

I glared at her as she cringed.

"You look good with those glasses." I said, still pinning her to the bed.

"Thanks…" she said.

"Why don't you use contacts?" I asked.

"Oh, I have contacts…" she whispered.

"Well, why aren't you wearing them?" I asked.

"Oh, well, they're gold colored… one's at my house and the other one is lodged at the back of my skull." She said.

"Oh… awesome…" I said, whispering in her ear.

Then, the door flew open.

It was Leah, Akihiko, Rio and Kenji.

"Hey, you two have visitors…" Akihiko said.

"Yeah, a first class hottie and her pet scarecrow…" Leah said.

"Hey!" Kenji complained, "I'm in shape!"

"In shape?! I'll make you a meal, boy, fatten you up…" Leah said.

"Hey you tw-" Kenji said as his eyes flew wide open.

"Uh… are we bothering you two…?" Kenji said.

"What's going on here?" Junpei said as he barged in, "What?! Leah forces me to study, but allows you two to play _Catch me, rape me?! _Totally unfair!" Junpei said.

"We are not-" I said, before being aware of what it LOOKED like.

I let Minako go.

"We weren't doing anything…" I said.

"I see…" Rio said.

"Sure…" Akihiko said.

"Oh to be young…" Leah said as she pulled Akihiko and Junpei out.

"So… what are you two doing here?" I asked.

"Well, I'm tutoring Kenji and we're done, so we thought it'd be nicer to study together." Rio said.

"Alright, come closer you two…" I said.

"Okay…"

I taught them the trick of associating test answers to objects and notable games.

Then, the next day was Showa day again, so we met at Rio's house and studied again, using the same method.

Then, we went to Kenji's house, right next door, where his little sister, Sachi and his mother fix us some homemade food.

Sachi kept teasing Rio to Kenji.

To be honest, I never thought about it, but those two would make a beautiful couple.

Then, Wednesday, we had some review classes, which we found too easy and then Minako and I faced Rio and Kenji in a doubles game.

We ended in a 20-20 game, making it a tie.

We went home, hoping to celebrate at Greenery day or something…

The next day, Thursday, was Constitution day, so we studied at Minako's house and had lunch at Rio's, where her mother gave us Brazilian food and her father made us great juice, made with purified river water.

Then, we went home and we rested.

The next day was Greenery Day, so we studied for a while, and then Minako and I took Rio and Kenji on Badminton at the Park, where Ms. Toriumi was spending her afternoon.

We played a rigorous game, until Kenji had a leg cramp and Rio kept yelling at him for being out of shape, while Kenji was yelling at Rio to help him.

To make him happy, Rio bought him a _Hagakure_ bowl.

We went home.

Children's day, Saturday.

Instead of studying, we went out on a shopping spree, where Rio and I bought Badminton stuff, hand wraps, grips, shoes, caps, polo shirts, visors, the works.

Minako and Kenji just ate out.

Rio and I talked while she chose a visor.

"You know, I've never really met you, but you seem like an okay guy…" Rio said.

"Thanks…"

"Kenji kept yapping about you and I was curious…" she said, "Were you a couple? You know, with Yukari-san…?" she said.

"Yeah… but I'd rather not talk about her…"

"You're so lucky…" she said.

"Lucky for what?" I asked.

"You have Minako now… while I have no one…" she said.

"Aw, don't act that way… what about Kenji? You look at him differently." I said.

She made a face.

"Is it THAT obvious?" she said.

"As obvious as Kenji's love for Ramen…" I said.

"Ugh…" she said.

"Why not ask him? He seems pretty frank…" I said.

"He obviously likes older girls… we played scrabble last Thursday and I spelled LOVE, and he made a triple point by spelling OBLIVIOUS…" she said disgustedly.

"I'll talk to him… you're too pretty to be ignored…" I said.

She smiled, "If you weren't with Minako-chan, I'd totally be into you…" she said.

"Nah…" I said.

"Any problems?" she said.

"It's just that… Minako is perfect… very pretty, clean, nice, funny, unique and spunky… her being in love with a loser like me? Get real… if I'm lucky… then I might be lucky enough to get a girl half as good as her…" I said.

"You will. I'm still available." She said.

"I must be lucky, then…" I muttered.

_Meanwhile…_

Kenji and Minako were eating.

"Hey Minako… do you find me attractive at all?" he said.

"Nope." Minako said, slurping at her Ramen.

"Aw!" he said.

"Rio seems to like you…"

"Rio? She's just a friend." He said.

"Just a friend…"

"It's true!" Kenji said.

"She likes you and you like women who are old enough to be your grandma!" she said.

"Okay, FINE, I like Rio, but she's not into walking scarecrows, so can we please drop it?" he said.

"Whatever." She said.

"What about you and Minato? You two seem good together…"

"Ha! What would Minato see in me? He's the kind of guy that girls drool over for… girls WANT him and guys want to BE like him…"

"You have low self esteem, you know that, right?" he said.

"I'll talk to Rio for you if you'd shut up." She said.

Then, we went home awkwardly for some reason...

_(05/06/10)_

The next day, I decided to go talk to Kenji for Rio's sake.

"Hey man!" Kenji said.

"I need a word with you." I yanked him and brought him to the Hagakure.

We ordered a few bowls.

"So… what do you want to talk about?"

"I need to understand something…" I said.

"What?" he said.

"Rio likes you."

"She does?" he said looking up.

"She does." I confirmed, "And she doesn't think you feel the same way." I said.

"I like older women." He said.

"But Rio is better." I said.

"Rio? Why is it about Rio? I like older women!" he said.

"How did that work out for you?" I said.

He bit his lip.

"Granted. But why look for women who aren't coming, if there's a girl right there who'll love you?" I said.

He seemed at lost for words.

"You know, Junpei liked younger girls, to the point where calling him a _pedophile_ would be a compliment, but he finally found a girlfriend… whose 24." I said.

He looked at me, "Really?"

"Yeah… so, maybe fate likes to mess with you, but you can reply by going with what they day. And Rio really likes you." I said.

"How would you know?" he asked.

"She told me." I said.

"Goddamn…" he muttered.

Then, he spent the entire time asking me about what Rio said.

Then, we went home.

_(05/07/10)_

The next day, we answered the exams.

Science…

Who was the founder of Newton Balls?

[] Galileo Galilei

[] Albert Einstein

[] Isaac Newton

[] Balls Newton

_Is this a joke?_

_What is Kenji's pet newt named?_

_Isaac New Ton._

[x] Isaac Newton

Minako kept snickering.

_(05/08/10)_

More exams.

P.E….

What is the dance used in the Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty?

[] Ballet

[] Dougie

[] Tango

[] Cha-cha

_What's a dougie…?_

This is too easy…

_What rhymes with fillet?_

[x] Ballet

_(05/09/10)_

Who is the author of "Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer"?

[] Mark Twain

[] Robert Lewis

[] Jules Verne

[] Morpheus Prince

_What is Minako's profile name in Jaws?_

_Shark Bane._

_What rhymes with Shark Bane?_

_[_x_] Mark Twain._

_(05/10/10)_

Who assasinated Nobunaga Oda?

[] Mitsuhide Samanosuke Akechi

[] Hirohito Takehide

[] Altair

[] Toshii Maeda

_Tch… who's the MC in Onimusha 1?_

_[x] Mitsuhide Samanosuke Akechi_

_(05/11/10)_

Who is the Emperor of Japan who brought its Golden Age?

[] Emperor Scorpion

[] Emperor Mutsuhito

[] Emperor Hirohito

[] Julius Caesar

_What's the name of Minako's 1969 Dodge Charger?_

_[x] Emperor Mutsuhito_

_(05/12/10)_

Who invented Geometry?

[] Pythagoras

[] Euclid

[] Chandragupta

[] Renee Descartes

_What rhymes with Lucid?_

_[x] Euclid_

I answered everything with relative ease.

Then, Minako and I celebrated with Rio and Kenji at the Hagakure.

Rio went to me.

"Help me talk to Kenji next week, okay?" she said.

"Sure." I said.

Then, we went home and awaited next week.


	8. First Results

_(05/14/10)_

Minako and I arrived at school and we walked to school.

After the usual hoo-ha of class, we went to the scoreboard, where our exam scores were.

_TOP 10, 12__th__ grade_

_1. Minato Arisato_

_2. Fuuka Yamagishi_

_3. Minako Arisato_

_4. Rio Iwasaki_

_5. Yukari Takeba_

_6. Yuko Nishiwaki_

_7. Pinky Lee _

_8. Quan Lao _

_9. Kenji Tomochika_

_10. Junpei Iori_

"Yes!" Quan said, "Top Eight!"

"Alright Quan!" Pinky said.

"Thanks, Pink! Or should I say Ms. Top Seven?" Quan said, "Oh, hey Minato… And Minako! You're on the Top Five…"

"Yeah… Top three! Congrats, girl!" Pinky said.

Minako looked at her name in the score.

"Oh my god! I got third! I got third!" she yelled as she strangled me under her arm.

She kept yelling and jumping.

"Wow… she got third place!" Rio said, "I only got four though…" Rio said.

"Yep! Ninth place!" Kenji said.

Then, he looked at the score.

"JUNPEI?! IN THE TOP TEN?!" he said incredulously, "What the hell?!"

Junpei stood there, looking satisfied.

"Dafaq?" Minako said.

"It's all in a good day's work." He said.

"Junpei aside, can you believe it?!" Minako said, "Thanks bestie!" she said.

"That was all you."

She blushed.

"W-Well… thanks!" she said as she put an arm around me.

Yukari and Fuuka arrived.

Yukari seemed very jovial at first.

But her smile melted into anger and disgust when she looked at the scoreboards.

"Wow! I got Top two! Beside Minato-kun!" she said.

"And I got fifth… two places below Minako…" Yukari said disgustedly.

Minako glared at her.

"What's that suppose to mean, Dragon Lady?"

"Oh nothing… they made you top three? There must be a HUGE mistake! Seeing as Stupei here got tenth…" she said.

Ms. Toriumi was observing us.

"Oh, that was no mistake… I didn't believe it myself, but the scores don't lie… he must have been praying hard!" She said.

"Hey! I studied!" Junpei said.

"Congrats." Kenji said.

Yukari went to me.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She drags me to the side, where Minako eyes us suspiciously.

"What is it about?" I asked.

"I don't like Minako."

I stayed quiet, thinking she had more to say, but evidently not.

"…And so…?"

"I don't want you staying near her." She said.

"Why?" I said, more than slightly irritated.

"Because! She thinks she's so…so… _superior _because she's top three!"

"That's because she studied." I said.

"Studied…? With you? Figures… what did she give?" she said.

"What do you mean…?" I said, narrowing my eyes.

"I mean she give you money? Or things? Just for you to tutor her or something?" she said, "You two have sex?" she said.

"No! We studied together! Why would you think that?"

"That slut looks like she's asking for it…"

I punched the locker next to her head, caving a hole in it.

"What did you say?!" I said through my teeth.

Everyone looked at us.

"I didn't mean…"

She seemed terrified, then smug.

"Why so defensive? Did you do that little bitch doggie style? Missionary? Dirty 69?" she said silently to my ear.

"You little bit-" I restrained my anger, "I don't want you talking to Minako that way!"

"Why? Is she your girlfriend?" she said mockingly, "You cheater!"

"She's… my friend…" I said, "And I won't let my friends be treated that way, especially by you!" I said.

She growled.

"Also, YOU broke up with me." I added.

"Because…"

"Just accept the fact she beat you. End of story." I said.

"Okay, but know this." She said, "I hate Minako!"

I waited.

"And I'm glad we broke up." She said.

"Good! Were we even a damn couple?!" I shouted.

"Damn you!" she said as she slapped me in the face and left.

Then, I blew on my skinned knuckles.

"What was that all about?" Rio said.

"Nothing… I, uh, slipped." I said.

"You slipped?" Kenji said, "While punching a locker? I'd hate to see the idiot who owns this-" he snickers.

"Wait... That's MY locker!" he said, suddenly realizing the giant dent in his locker.

Rio burst out laughing as Kenji lamented over his ruined locker.

"…Sorry." I said.

"You better be!" he said.

"What did Dragon Lady do this time?" Minako said.

"Oh, nothing… a few insults here and there… made a crack about you, but nothing much…" I said.

"That damn bitch! What did she say? I'm gonna kill her!" she said, yanking off Kenji's locker door with one arm.

"Ack!" Kenji said, "My locker door!"

"Is torn off. Super glue it later, bub!" Minako snarled, "I'm going Dragon hunting!" she said.

"Wait… all she said was that it was impossible you got higher scores than her… then, she made a crack about my mom's ass and I punched the locker…"

"MY LOCKER!" Kenji said.

"Kenji's locker." I corrected.

"Then she left? Good job, bestie!"

"We need to celebrate!" Minako declared.

"Sure. Junes Sunday." I said.

"It's a deal!" we all said.

Later, Minako and I hung out with Leah and Akihiko as Leah talked about her "Dangerously Dangerous" war stories…

"…And this one time, at boot camp, we weren't allowed to have pillow fights, but we did, and it was so much fun!" she said.

"So?" I said.

"Those 'Pillows' were sandbags." She said.

Akihiko gulped.

"Moving on, I hear Junpei got top ten today…" Leah said.

Akihiko, who was drinking an energy drink, became so surprised that the drink came out of his nose.

"What?!"

"True story." Minako said.

"It shouldn't be TOO surprising…" Leah said.

Akihiko narrowed his eyes.

"How?"

Leah looked sheepish.

"Well, that nice lady, Chidori-san, comes over and tutors him…" she said.

"And why hasn't this come up yet?" Akihiko said.

"You never asked." She said simply.

"Figures..." Akihiko mutters.

"Well, good job Chidori, the guy finally tastes good grades… for once!" Minako said.

"Ha! Good one!" Akihiko said.

"Anything new?" Leah asked.

"Nothing."

"Minato's girlfriend had a fight with him!" Minako blurted.

"Ohhh! Love quarrels! Tell me more!" Leah said.

"Oh brother…" Akihiko said.

"Aw, Akihiko, you're such a damn wet blanket!" Leah said.

"Yukari eh?" he said.

"Yep."

Minako related what had happened.

"Well, she seems pretty unreasonable…" Leah said.

"And she seemed utterly depressed when Minato die- I mean, '_broke up' _with him." Akihiko said.

"Eh? Forget her! She can eat shit and die! Let's eat! I want some pork chops, Leah, chop chop!" Minako said.

"Two things: Where's your money for the pork chops? And two: Bad pun." She said,

"_Really _bad pun…" Leah said, shaking her head.

_(05/20/10)_

Minako, Rio, Kenji and I went to Junes to celebrate our victory…

We played some games at the Arcadia arcade, bought lots of manga at the Bookworms Book Shoppe, looked for CD's at the Iliad CD CT and finally, spent hours at the Karaoke.

Then, we went out.

We walked around the food court.

"Man… what the hell is an _Inaba Styled Beef steak_…?" Kenji said.

"Ugh… I've eaten old tires chewier than those…" Minako said.

"I have a feeling that wasn't a joke…" I muttered.

"Haha! Why not Wakatsu?" Rio suggested.

"Or Changall café? I'm in the mood for coffee…" Kenji said.

"Ugh! No wonder you're thinner than a lamp post! We need to fatten you up pronto!" Rio declared.

"Fatten me up?!" Kenji said.

"You deaf? Let's go!" Rio said as we went to the second floor, where the Wakatsu was.

She ordered four full course meals for Kenji as we ordered what we wanted.

"Ramen will never get you these types of nutrients! Do you know that ten bowls of Ramen lacks the nutrition required for the body? It's all but empty calories! No wonder why you can hide behind a flagpole!" Rio ranted.

Minako and I ate our food, which was quite delicious…

"A toast!" I said.

"For passing the exams and getting Top Ten!" Rio said.

"Hear, hear!" Kenji said.

_After we toasted…_

"Do you know why it's called a toast?" I said.

"Dunno." Kenji said.

"Beats me." Rio said.

"Ixnay, bro." Minako said.

"Because the ancient Romans used to put toasted bread in their wine." I said.

"Uh huh." Kenji said.

"Well, that's stupid! Don't they know that would soak it up like sponge and it would completely _ruin_ its chemical compounds and nutrients?!" Rio said, "Ugh! Talking about it makes me mad! I'm glad we're here, where nutritious food is!" Rio said.

"You know what, Rio? You should be a nutritionist." Minako said.

"Or a dietician." I suggested.

"Or an obsessive compulsive housewife…" Kenji muttered.

"What was that?" she said.

"N-Nothing!"

Then, all hell broke loose.

Yukari and Fuuka stormed in...

Well, at least Yukari did most of the '_storming-in'_ part…

"Hey MINAKO and Minato! Fancy seeing YOU two here!" Yukari said.

"Uh… hey, Yukari." I said.

"Oh, HEY Minato! Wow, you're looking well!" she said, "What are you two up to?" she said.

"Uh…"

"What do you want, Dragon Lady?" Minako said.

"What I want, is MY BOYFRIEND back!" she snarled.

"Your boyfriend?" Minako scoffs, "Minato isn't your boyfriend, so get your _tsundere _ass out of here while I still let you!" she said.

"You bitch!" she screamed.

"Get out." She said.

"Say that again? I'll rip you apart!" Yukari said.

Minako laughs really, really hard.

"I'd like to see you try."

They engage in a stare off.

Then, Yukari leaves.

"Fuck you!" Minako shouts.

"Whoa… I was sweating bullets!" Kenji said.

"Let's see what she'll do." I said as Yukari seemed to rant about Minako with Fuuka.

Fuuka was really out of place…

Then, we laughed it off and went home.

_**A/N: If any of you are interested in joining a forum, then you're welcome to join the Legion, which you can check via my profile, if you have the time.**_


	9. School Brawl

_(05/28/10)_

_Monday…_

_Things began to quiet down at Gekkoukan high, so we weren't exactly as excited as before…_

It was third period, morning.

Minako and I were walking down the hallway, when Cato and his gang accosted us.

"Well, well… look what we have here, guys… a coven of vampires! One of em' is half zombie!" Cato said.

His lackeys laughed idiotically.

"Hey, maybe we can get the Volturi here! One of their guards are missing!" Hide said.

"Haha! Yeah, missing!" Hortez parroted.

"Missing huh?" Minako said sarcastically, "They should call the asylum… one of their patients are missing."

"Or, Minako is really hot and Minato needs to take a hike!" Quan said.

"Yeah! Take a hike!" Hortez said.

"A hike? Wow, nice hearing that from a fool!" Minako said.

"I think you two need to get out of our way." Cato said.

"Yeah! Out of our way!" Hortez echoed.

Cato annoyedly smacked Hortez.

"Shut it, Hortez."

"Why should we move? Your pops owns these hallways?" Minako said.

"Ohhh! Looks like someone needs to learn some respect!" Michonne said.

"Yeah! Learn some respect!" Yo said.

"A girl version of Hortez… interesting." Minako said.

Yo narrowed her eyes.

"What did you say?"

"A dumb AND DEAF girl version of Hortez!" Minako said.

"You want a piece of me?!" Yo taunted.

"Nah, I want the whole damn thing!" Minako said, provoking Yo.

Yo advanced and the boys surrounded us.

A fight seemed inevitable, but then a teacher intervened.

"Alright, break it up, break it up!" Ms. Toriumi said.

Yo dusted herself off.

"Yes, Ms. Toriumi!" she said as she and her posse left.

After they left…

"I swear… Ekoda's got to keep control of those animals…" Minako muttered.

"He doesn't care at all… the guy's an asshole." Ms. Toriumi said.

"Tell me about it! He's our next class…" I said.

"Oh shit!" Minako said.

"Go! Before you get late and Ekoda chews my ass out…"

We run to class, barely getting by roll call…

"Ah, it seems our prodigal Arisato's are here at last! Too busy bullying students?" Ekoda said.

"We aren't…"

"Just go to your seats before I write you up!" Ekoda barks.

As we went to our seats, Minako kept muttering curses and death threats to Ekoda.

He kept making pot shots at us, but we ignored them and pretended to write.

I made scribbles, but when I looked at Minako's paper, she made a really good, realistic drawing of Ekoda being hung by a KKK member, while she shot arrows into him.

_She has a future in art…_

After that, we had lunch with Rio and Kenji, where she continually mocked Ekoda, his teaching style and his mother.

"…And after I kill him, I'd use _recarm _to bring him back and kill him some more! He'll never expect that!" Minako said as she stabbed her pork and shoveled it in her mouth.

"You are full of surprises… played _Devil Summoner _lately?" I asked.

"Yes!" she said with crazed eyes.

"I liked using Gdon, Raiho, Nebiros and Cu Chulainn…" Kenji said.

"Well, Binbou-Gami, Pale rider and Atavaka are my all time favorites…" Rio shared.

"How do you even get fiend types?" Kenji asked.

"Easy. On a new moon or full moon, fuse demons seven times or any number divisible by seven and be sure to bring luck locusts…" Rio said.

"Every time I do that, I get a lousy zombie…" Kenji said.

"Devil summoners are great, aren't they?" Rio said.

"And I think they are the ancestors of…"

I cut her off, "We'd better hurry… let's go to the lockers!" I said.

"Sure." Rio said.

"Come on!" Minako said.

"Sure! To the lockers! Wait, I don't HAVE a locker! It was destroyed last week!" Kenji said sarcastically.

"Hey, haven't you changed lockers?" Rio said.

"Yeah, next to Minato's… hopefully, he'd hit his by accident…" Kenji said.

We laughed at him as we went to the lockers.

Minako struggled with her books as it fell on the floor.

Cato and his gang passed us by.

"Hey vampire! You dropped your books!" Quan said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rio said.

"The books must've looked at your face!" Quan said.

They laughed and walked along.

"Ugh! Total cockroaches!" I said as I helped Minako carry her stuff.

Minako suddenly snickered.

"You know the funny thing? Guys like Quan Lao secretly want me. Bullies like him always want freaky girls… Girls who wear… horn rimmed glasses or Cuban shoes and wear emo makeup… girls who play the flute and wear Vans and want to be librarians someday… yeah, guys like him eat that shit up!" Minako said as Quan looked back at her with mixed feelings.

"Oh really?" I said.

"Yeah, but he just won't admit it because he's suppose to be into girls like Pink or Michonne… who, incidentally, like him." She said.

"First of all, you're not freaky." I said, "Second, Quan DOES not like you! lastly,what the hell is a Cuban shoe?"

Minako smiled mischievously.

"Minato Arisato, are you jealous?"

Fortunately, Yukari passed by with Fuuka.

She gave a silent snort and regarded me coldly.

"Hey." I said.

She smiled warmly.

Then, with a final look of hatred to Minako, she left.

Minako shook her head.

"Wonder what's up HER ass?" Minako said.

"Beats me." I said, "She's as moody as the sea…"

We went to history class, where Ekoda filled in.

"Ugh! Two in one! Bullshit!" Minako said as she saw Ekoda.

"I beg your pardon?!"

"N-Nothing sir!" I said.

"Your impertinence insults me! Try following Cato's example!" he said.

After another round of Ekoda, we went to the lockers, where Minako found a note.

She read it with increasing agitation.

I took it and read it.

_do you like me?_

_[] yes_

_[]YESS_

_[]All of the above_

_I really like you, Minako!_

_Luv,_

_-Quan_

She crumpled it and walked furiously, looking for Quan.

She found him at the cafeteria.

"What the hell's this, eh?!" she screamed.

Quan put his hands up.

"Uh… a declaration of my love?" he said.

"You ass! I'd rather eat shit!" she hissed as she crumpled the paper and threw it in Quan's face.

Quan held her by her arms.

"Listen! I really, really like you." Quan said.

"Let go of her!" I yelled.

"Ohhh! You love Minako too?" Quan said.

"Don't mess with my friend!" Minako snarled.

Minako freed herself and launched a skull crushing punch that left Quan on the floor.

"Hmph!" she said as she left.

When Quan recovered, Minako threw a bowl of pudding and it hit Cato.

"Why you-" Cato was about to punch Minako, but I, for some reason, used my face as a shield.

The punch felt weak, considering that I've faced shadows worse than Cato, but it still hurt.

I knocked him down and left hurriedly with Minako.

I went to the safety of my locker, when suddenly, I sensed something behind me.

_Bang!_

A locker was destroyed by Cato's fist.

"My new locker!" Kenji shouted.

A crowd gathered as Cato made a ridiculous Muhammad Ali stance.

"Bet you think you're funny, eh Cullen?"

"Cullen?" I said before dodging a punch.

"Cato, stop, that was an accident!" Pink shouted.

"My fist busting his face, that's the accident." Cato growled.

"Come on, Cato, just stop!" Pink pleaded.

"I don't want to fight you, Cato."

"Yeah, good choice; I wouldn't fight myself neither!" he said before launching a punch, which I easily dodged.

He kept on punching and punching, before Hortez went behind me and tried a back attack.

"Help him, Kenji!" Rio said.

I dodged Hortez and he was knocked unconscious by Cato's fist.

"Which one?" Kenji said.

I dodged more and more of Cato's punches, until he became bullish and made his punches sloppier.

I finally got tired and curled my fist and just rammed it into his stomach.

He was pushed a few feet and landed on someone's foot, and that someone's food tray hit Cato's head.

Everyone cheered, until they saw Mr. Ekoda seething as he looked at his lunch on the floor.

"Everyone clear off this instant or I'll give you all a month's worth of homework to be passed tomorrow!"

As fast as you can say Thunder, they all left like sewer rats.

Then, Ekoda focused on me.

"Minato! This tomfoolery ends today! I want your parents here this afternoon!" Ekoda yells.

"But Mr. Ekoda-" I tried explaining.

"No exceptions!" he said as he helped Cato up, "If your parents don't show up, there will be hell to pay, son!"

Cato made the I-see-you gesture and left with Ekoda.

I shook my head.

"Those guys are class A assholes…" Minako mutters, "Thanks for helping me out, bestie." She said.

"What are friends for?" I said.

Later that afternoon, I called Leah.

"Hello? Arisato, Iori, Otsuji and Sanada residence, this is Leah Otsuji speaking, who the heck is this?" Leah said.

"Leah, its Minato, listen, I need you to come over to school and pretend to be my mom…" I said.

"Ohhh! For Drama class? Oh how I've always wanted to be an actress!"

"No, I'm in big trouble- sort of, and I need you to pretend to be my mom!" I said.

"Ah, you can't beat the classics! Can I bring you a 'Dad'?" she said.

I contemplated it.

"Yeah, fine, but make it fast!" I said.

"Wizard." She said as she hung up.

I waited with Minako, Rio and Kenji at the school gates.

I saw Leah with a man with a brown bushy beard.

Leah had a soccer ball in her stomach, making me think she was pregnant…

The man seemed rather dignified.

He had silver hair up top…

"Hello 'son'! Meet your father!" she said.

I looked at him closer and he took off his fake beard, revealing a bald face.

"I almost didn't recognize you!" I said.

"Let's just get this over with…" he groaned.

We went to Ekoda's office.

"Thank you both for coming! Mr. and Mrs…?"

"Arisato! Pato Arisato, this is my wife, Chisato."

"Chisato Arisato, pleased to meet you." Leah said.

"Mr. and Mrs. Arisato… your son has been disrupting classes, making a ruckus at campus and roughed up my star pupils."

Leah made an overreacted gesture, "My goodness! That doesn't sound like our Minato!"

"That's what any mother would say, but you have been warned. If he keeps this up, he will be disciplined."

"Ohhhwww?" Leah said.

"What do you mean by 'discipline'?"

"By which, I mean Juvenile Detention. Am I clear?"

"Don't worry, I'll fix this boy up, something fierce! Youngmanassoonaswegohomeyou'regonnagetthepunishmentofali fetime!"

Ekoda nodded.

"That's what I wanted to hear. Good day."

As we went out, we saw Ms. Toriumi talking with Rio, Minako and Kenji.

"Hello- Akihiko?" Ms. Toriumi said.

"Man! Looking macho dude!" Kenji said.

"Why didn't Ekoda notice?" Minako said.

"He's as thick as an iceberg…" Rio said.

"And apparently a sexual predator... into _bishounen _boys like Minato..." Leah said.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about… Ekoda won't notice… he barely reads the student reports…" Ms. Toriumi said.

"I'm Leah, Minato's surrogate mother."

"Hello! I'm Isako Toriumi, but call me... Maya." She said as she gave me a sidelong look.

"Maya." Leah said.

The lot of us went home, while Leah and Ms. Toriumi went shopping.

Minako went home after we picked up a box of Froot Loops, which are also my favorite.

As I went to my room, Minako ate as she wrote:

Minako: _THANKS BUD!_

Minato (me): SHURE. NP

She smiled.

She wrote something, then pursed her lips and tore the paper, folded it and wrote something else.

Minako: ARE YOU IN LUV WITH DRAGON LADY?

Minato (me): NOT REALLY.

Minako: DO YOU NEED HELP?

Minato (me):OKAY.

Minako: FOR ONLY THREE BOXES OF FROOT LOOPS.

I rolled my eyes.

Minato (me): NO PROBLEM

She smiled.

Minako: I PUNCHED A BULLY TODAY!

Minato (me): BADASS...

Minako: THANKS BESTIE, ILL SEE U TOMORROE

Minato (me):OKAY PLEASANT DREAMS, MINH

She made a poker face:

Minako: AM NOT VIETNAMESE BUB -_-

Minato (me): SORRY!

She smiled.

Minako: GOODNIGHT. HOPE 2 SEE YOU AGAIN. BLECH IM SO GAY TODAY!

Minato (me): BYE!

With that, she turned off her lights.

We went to sleep, eagerly awaiting tomorrow.

_**A/N: **__Done! _

_Thank you for reading!_

_Don't forget to review! Your feedback is very important to me!_

_If you have any helpful suggestions, then kindly place a review!_

_Thanks!_


	10. Closure and Disclosure

_**A/N**_: I sense a review war between two people…

Just keep it clean.

_(06/09/10)_

_Saturday…_

Minako and I did our usual routines, going to class, badmouthing Ekoda, eating lunch, badmouthing Ekoda with Ms. Toriumi, eating Froot Loops and attending Badminton practice...

Minako was always constantly by my side… she likes hanging out with me and the feeling is very much mutual…

Minako is the type of person you could set on fire and she'd just shrug…

Today actually, was fun… she placed chalk between the eraser and let Quan erase the board for her during Ekoda's class and he totally chewed her out.

But today was very unusual… because today, Yukari talked to me.

Well, it all started during lunch… she would give me smiles and I would smile back.

Minako kept looking at me and asked if I was high on drugs.

At recess…

Kenji and I were walking to his locker next to the Archery range.

"There! My third locker! One of the newest lockers here on campus!" Kenji declared as he admired his new locker.

Yukari was nocking an arrow and she smiled when she saw me.

"D'ja think Yukari likes you?" he said.

"Huh? No…" I said.

"Why not? It's pretty obvious she still has feelings for you…" he said.

"Huh…"

"And what do you think I should do?" I asked.

"Talk to her." He said.

"Really? What should I say?" I asked.

"You don't… maybe she'll be the one to talk to you." Kenji said.

"You don't say…?" I said as I propped myself with one arm by Kenji's locker.

Immediately, it caved in like a thick sheet of aluminum foil.

"My new locker!" Kenji lamented.

"Oops…" I said.

"Oops?! You break my locker and all you say is "Oops"?!"

"Well, you know these new school lockers… with their squishy metal and all…"

Then, during afternoon dismissal, she went up to me.

"Hey, Minato-kun…" she said.

I was sorta baffled at her, but I managed to reply.

"Huh? Hello, Yukari." I said, trying to be friendly, but it sounded stiff.

She winced.

"Still sore?"

"Well… I kinda felt hurt by what you said, really." I said honestly.

She bowed her head.

"I'm… sorry." She said.

"What was that?" I said innocently.

"I'm sorry."

"Say it again?" I said.

She embraced me.

"I AM SO SORRY!" she said.

I stood there awkwardly as everyone pretended not to notice.

"Uh… we're making a scene here… let's go to the rooftops?" I asked.

She nodded eagerly.

We walked upstairs and we sat on the bench overlooking the city.

There, she awkwardly fidgeted as I enjoyed the scenic view.

Then…

"So… uh… I guess you have more than a few questions for me?" she asked.

"Quite right." I said, "Definitely MORE than a few."

She bit her lip.

"So… uh… ask."

I shook my head.

"Do I even have to ask? I know you know what I want to ask." I said.

She sighed.

"I guess I probably deserve it…" she said, "The break up?"

I nodded, "I came back for you. I hope you know."

She took a very deep breath.

"I hope you understand… that I broke up with you for several reasons…"

I made a disgusted sound.

"Now let me explain… in my defense… I… was just… really scared of losing you…" she said.

"Scared. Of losing me. Really. REALLY." I said.

"Hey! Just listen, okay?" she said impatiently.

"Okay… fine, I'm listening."

"You came back to life… So, you're probably what some may call… a zombie."

"A zombie? Wow, that's one way to call it! Was the Messiah a zombie from coming back from the dead? Was Orpheus a zombie from coming back from the dead? If your father came back from the dead, would HE be a zombie?" I said.

I expected her to curse at me, but she just winced.

"Look… I was just spooked…" she said.

"Yeah, like two months ago… when you said you needed 'space'… What?" I said sarcastically.

"Minato… words… can't explain… how sorry and lousy I feel for doing that to you…" she said.

I wanted to argue, call her a bitch or something, but somehow, Yukari's disposition made me… _calmer_?

Instead, I made a throaty laugh.

"I remember when we broke up…"

She nods wistfully.

"You said: This is it, I had enough!"

"Yeah… really, I'm sorry…" she said.

"It's okay…" I said.

"So… are we back together again?" she said.

"I guess…"

Then, Minako arrived.

"Yooo Minato! And… Dragon Lady?!" she said in surprise.

Minako's eyes turn to me, expecting an answer.

"Did… did Dragon Lady kidnap you?!" she asked.

Yukari's eyes flared in extreme annoyance, but she kept her composure and kept her anger to herself.

"Uh… mind explaining?!" Minako said in annoyance, which I can't refuse.

"Excuse me…" I said to Yukari.

I went with Minako to the corner.

"Yukari wants to make up with me…" I said.

Minako's eyes flashed.

"No!"

"Relax… she wants to be friends with you as well…" I said, making a harmless white lie.

"Me? Friends with… with… with HER?! Never!" she declared.

"Just… be cool, a'igh?" I said, "I've got this."

Minako looked at me wearily.

"You're the boss…" she said.

"Okay…" I said.

"I'll be outside…" she said.

"Wizard."

I returned to Yukari.

"Sorry 'bout that…" I said.

"Yeah, I was getting to her…" she said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean that… I'll be very blunt here, I really don't like Minako. I never did, never will and never had." She said.

"Why not? You don't even know her personally." I said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she said.

"Listen… if you really hate someone, everything they'll do will set you off…" I said.

She shook her head.

"That's not really the point... I don't like the way she moves…" she said, eyeing Minako eating a saltine cracker she saved by the rooftop door.

"Look at her… eating those crackers… like she OWNS the place…" Yukari muttered beneath her breath.

"See what I mean?" I said.

"What?"

"Poor Minako's just eating crackers and you chastise her…" I said, defending my dear friend.

"Why do you defend that glutton?" she said.

"Glutton? Minako has an eating disorder." I said.

"That's besides the point." She said.

"Besides the point!" I cried, "Would you be angry at a blind man for not seeing?" I said.

"No. If it's Minako, then fine."

"I'll ask you a question and you have to answer it honestly and bluntly… can you answer it?" I asked.

"Yes. I will." She said.

"Are you jealous?" I said.

Her eyes flashed with anger.

"Why would I be-"

"Answer it."

She slumped her shoulders.

"Yes. I am. And you want to know why? I don't like… dumb, stupid people like her around you…" she said.

"She got a higher score than you." I pointed out.

"Alright, Minato, I don't want to be enemies with you, but… you need to make a choice." She said.

"A choice? What the hell is this? _Twilight_?" I said.

"Yeah. I would be Jacob, since I have shorter hair and much more realistic…" she said.

"So you're saying I'm Bella?"

"Well, you can't be Edward, since Vamp there has it covered… pale skin, red eyes and bad attitude… makes her a vampire!" she said playfully.

"I refuse to stay away from Minako." I said obstinately.

"I understand." She said.

"Y-You do?"

"Yes. I understand completely."

"Then…"

"No. We can't." she said.

"Yukari… please…" I lost her once and it felt twice as painful to lose her again.

"Sorry… I need to go…" she said.

I bow my head.

With that, she sadly walked out, giving Minako the cold shoulder.

Minako went in.

"Geez… what's her shizz?" Minako asked, still munching on her crackers.

"N-nothing… can you go away for a while?" I asked.

She blinked.

"O-Okay…"

I spent the time pondering about what my life was worth.

Saddened by Yukari… who I sacrificed my life for…

I don't hate her… in fact; I love her so much…

Then, I went home with Minako.

I didn't want to eat, so I went immediately upstairs.

I sulked in my room.

Minako played GreenDay music in her room while wearing a sombrero.

She saw me and started writing:

Minako: WHY SO DOWNCAST?

Minato (me): IT'S YUKARI…

She smiled.

Minako: AH… PROBLEMA WITH THE CORAZON EL MINATO?

Minato (me): HUH?

Minako: SORI… IT'S THE HAT…

She took off the hat.

Minako: TELL ME WHATS UP.

Minato (me): WELL… YUKARI DOESN'T WANT ME TO HANG OUT WITH YOU…

Minako: WHY NAUGHT?

Minato (me): BECOZ… SHE JEALOUS BRO…

Minako: WHO DID YOU CHOOS?

Minato (me): YOU.

Minako: THAT'S SWEET!

Minato (me): YEP… BUT A BITTER PILL FOR ME…

Minako: SHE DIDN'T RECONSIDER?

Minato (me): NOPE.

Minako: TRY 2 CALL HER AND EXPLAIN.

Minato (me): THAT WONT WERK…

Minako: R U A GIRL?

Minato (me):NO…

I contemplated it.

Minato (me): ALRIGHT…

I took my cell and dialed her number.

She answered in four rings.

"Hello?" she said, her magical voice like a flowing river.

"Hey Yukari… it's Minato." I said.

"Minato! How are you?" she asked cheerily.

"I'm well…"

"Have you… you know…?" she said, hinting Minako.

"Yukari… why can't you two be friends?" I asked.

She made several angry sounds.

"Look, I only want a stable relationship and frankly, that's impossible with HER around…"

"Yukari… please… I still love you…" I said.

"Sigh… this is EXHAUSTING! If Minako's your friend, we are never, ever getting back together." She said and hung up.

I shook my head.

Minako opened her window and threw a flip-flop at my window.

Minako: PROGNOSIS?

Minato (me): NO CIGAR. SHE WONT ACCEPT IT.

Minako: DAMN DRAKON LADY TIL THE END…

Minato (me): I NEED 2 SLEEP.

Minako: OK, TAKE IT EASY.

I went to bed and I tried to sleep, but all I did was toss and turn.

I also tried to cry myself to sleep.

Then, at twelve midnight, I decided to go Romeo on Minako…

I went out of the house and walked between our rooms.

I picked up a small sized rock and threw it to her room.

I did it a few times and then I took a larger one and threw it at her window as Minako opened it, causing it to hit her.

"OW! Whatthefuck?!"

"Sorry!" I said.

"Ow! Minato? What do you want?" she said.

"Can… can I talk to you?" I said.

"At midnight?!" she said.

"Yes…"

"Sure." She said as she let down a rope ladder.

I climbed up the ladder.

Her room had a pink wallpaper, had girly-punk designs and smelled like Froot Loops.

"Why is there a ladder?" I had to ask.

"Auntie's a doomsday prepper… afraid about some stupid eruption…" she muttered.

"Sigh… I feel troubled…" I said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Yukari…" I sobbed as my head dropped to her chest.

"Oh… oh… there there…" she consoled me.

I hugged her.

"Stop crying…" she said.

I kept crying.

"Uh… remember when we broke Kenji's locker three times?" she said, "And… the time you kicked Cato's ass?"

I had to laugh.

Then, I saw I made a wet mark of my eyes in her red shirt.

"Sorry…" I said.

"S'okay…"

"Let's forget Yukari for tonight, eh?" she said.

"Okay…" I said, "What are my favorite songs?"

"Boulevard of broken dreams…" she said.

Then, we engaged in a stimulating conversation about my musical preferances.

"Okay… can I talk about my dreams or am I pushing it?" I said.

"Nah, go on ahead…" she said.

She allowed me to lay in her lap as I talked to her.

I told her about my dreams of opening a wine company.

"That's a great idea!" she said, "My spoiled bestie!"

"How about you?"

She talked about her dream of being either a food critic or being my partner for my wine company.

Then, I noticed my door opening.

It was Junpei.

He was mouthing something and when he saw me, his eyes shouted 'UNFAIR!'.

I ignored him and I said:

"I'd better go…" I said.

"Thanks for coming… and for sticking out for me…" she said.

"Always... for my best friend, Minako." I said.

She winked at me and I gave her a friendly hug.

"Here, take this…" she gave me a rope ladder, "I might want to visit your room." She said.

"Thanks…" I said.

Then, I went out, escaping in the cover of the night.


	11. Gekkoukan Hooligans

_(06/08/10)_

_Friday…_

The week went by without a hitch, really…

Except that… Yukari looked… what, happier? Content?

So, I just enjoyed the week with Minako, until Friday…

Minako and I were walking by the halls with Kenji and Rio…

We were chatting.

"Aw man! Ekoda chewed me out big time!" Kenji moaned.

Rio shook her head, "What did you do this time?"

"It's about my damn locker…" he muttered.

"They don't make 'em like they used to…" Rio muttered.

"It also helped that Minato's on a damn mission to destroy my lockers!" Kenji said.

"Sorry…" I said.

"Nah, don't sweat it…" he said.

"That's not much of a problem, eh? Since you got a new locker…" Minako said.

"Yep! Right by the Football field…" he said with pride.

"Great eh? I've read that the lockers by the football field are one of the oldest ones at school… they're probably made with wrought iron or something…" Minako said.

"Nerd alert…" I coughed.

"What was that?" Minako said as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"N-Nothing! Just a…. fickle at my throat…" I said.

"Well, fix it…" she said.

Then, we passed by the bullies.

Cato, Hide, Quan and Hortez with the girls, Pink, Michonne and Yo stood by the water fountains.

"Well, well! If it isn't the misfits!" Cato said.

"Yeah! Misfits!" Hortez repeated.

"Oh boy! This looks like the beginning of a bad joke! The vampires, a werewolf and the scarecrow!" Hide said.

"And you guys are the punch line… the seven morons…" Minako muttered.

"Yeah! Scarecrow!" Hortez repeated.

"Hey!" Kenji said, "I'm in shape, fool!"

"In shape my shiny metal ass!" Quan said, "If you want to see 'in shape', then look at Minako! Her body's driving me nuts! You know what I mean?" Quan nudged me.

"Dafaq? Eyes up here, pal!" Minako hissed.

"S-Sorry!" Quan said.

"You guys ought to know the meaning of respect!" Cato cried.

"And you need to know the meaning of shut up, you blonde retard..." Minako said.

Cato moved in to attack, but Quan stopped him.

"Why don't we settle this in the court?" Quan suggested.

"Which one? The Badminton court or the Basketball court?" Rio said.

"The Basketball court, of course!" Hide cried.

"You know we're not good at Basketball!" Kenji said.

"And don't you forget it." Quan said.

"Oh yeah? How about we go toe-to-toe on the Badminton course? You fools would never stand a chance against… Kenji! Let alone the four of us!" Rio said.

"Yeah! Hey!"

"Okay… how about the noble sport of Soccer?" Cato suggested.

"Soccer? Ha! We'd crack your skulls with our kicks!" Minako boasted.

"Let's see… three o clock this afternoon." Cato said.

"Better note that down, son… that's the time you get your patty-cake ass kicked!" Minako said.

"Eleven on eleven! Better recruit!" Hide said as they left.

We were alone in the halls.

"What do we do now?" Kenji said.

"We get help." I said.

First, we went to the Student council room, where an old friend was waiting for us…

His slicked back hair shone in the light.

"Minato-kun? What a pleasant surprise!" he said.

"Hidetoshi! It's been a while, Mister President!" I said.

"Haha! It looks like I didn't need that teacher's endorsement…" he said, "Why are you doing here anyway? Did you hear about the opening for the Sports Committee?" he said.\

"Opening?" I said.

"Yes… the position has been vacated for a while now…" he said, "And since our esteemed former president has chosen you, I have seen it fit to appoint you as Head of the Sports Committee." He said.

"Great." I said, "But… I'll only join if my friends, Minako, Rio, Kenji and Yuko could be my aides."

"Done. What else do you need?" he said.

"Well… We need you to team up with us at a friendly game this afternoon…" I said.

"Something's telling me it'll be anything BUT friendly…" Minako muttered.

"It's against Cato." I said.

"Ah, yes… _Him_." Hidetoshi said as he shuddered.

"What's wrong?" I said.

"He filled my position as Head of the Discipline Committee… usually, that job is reserved for handpicked individuals, but Mr. Ekoda saw it fit to appoint those stooges…" he said.

"I see… good time as any to get revenge." I said.

Hidetoshi nodded.

"Consider me your Fullback." Hidetoshi said.

"Him?! A fullback?! He's barely bigger than Kenji!" Minako said.

"I'll have you know I played Soccer all the time." Hidetoshi said, "I've got this."

"We'll see you by the court at three, Hidetoshi." Minako said.

Then, we went to the Home Economics room.

There, a blonde French teenager was making clothes.

"Eh? Minato-zama! Hajime mashite!" the boy said.

"Bebe! I guess your uncle let you stay, eh?" I said.

"Ye'z! Z'omthing about living my dreams!"

"Okay… I need your help here…" I said.

"Yeez? Anything!"

"We need an extra Soccer player." I said.

"Him?! He's more likely to kiss Cato and blow the opposite team!" Minako cried.

"Quoi?!" Bebe said, "Are you doubting my Z'kills in football?!" Bebe demanded.

"Yep."

"I 'appen to be ze best ztriker in all of Paris!" Bebe said.

"Let's see…" Minako said.

"Allow me to introduce myself! I am Andre Jean Laurant Geraux! But call me Bebe!" Bebe said.

"Where the hell do you get Bebe from THAT?!"

Then, we went to the Kendo team's gymnasium.

There, Kaz was practicing.

"Kaz, we need members to play with us against Cato and his mob. You guy's in?"

Kaz looked around.

"We're in."

Then, we went off to the court at exactly 3:00, where Bebe miraculously made jerseys for us…

The girls joined with us.

Then, Cato and I made a coin toss and he had the ball.

We played it pretty clean in the first few rounds…

Then, a few rounds later, Cato and his cronies begun using cheap shots…

Minako replied by conking Quan and Hide together.

Cato elbowed me and I fell down.

Minako tried kicking the ball, but it misfired and hit a locker, denting it horribly and ripping it from its rusted hinges.

"My locker!" Kenji cried.

"Oops…" Minako said.

Then, we went back to the game, Kenji slightly aggressive.

Bebe was left out mostly, so I did him a solid and passed the ball to him.

Immediately, his European eyes flamed with passion.

He expertly dribbled the ball and scored.

We kept scoring and scoring.

Then, we won, which was no surprise.

Cato got so angry, he kept provoking us to fight him.

Since Minako was such a hothead, that was very easy to do.

Minako took off her shoes and threw it at Cato, one hitting Cato and the other hitting Quan.

Immediately, all hell broke loose.

Bebe was exceptionally good at fending for himself, guarding and dodging.

Surprisingly, Minako, Kenji and Rio were very good at it.

Minako took a wooden pole and used it like a naginata, hitting Quan to and fro, even hitting me by accident as I tussled with Cato.

Rio laid the smack down on Hide, making him bleed.

Hidetoshi tried to restore order, but managed to get himself smacked on the nose.

Then, Ekoda and Ms. Toriumi interrupted the brawl.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Ekoda bellowed.

We were in a tight spot, because Hidetoshi couldn't afford to inplicate himself in an incident as a school student body president.

But, strangely enough, it was Cato who spoke out for us.

"Mr. Ekoda, sir, there is no cause for alarm." He spoke eloquently.

"And why not?" Ekoda said.

"Because we were merely engaging in a sport."

"You don't say?" Ekoda said, "Be so kind as to enlighten me on what sport you were playing?"

"Rugby."

"Ah… I see… well, carry on." he said and left.

Then, Cato looked at us.

"Hey, if we rat you out, we go down the drain ourselves. This doesn't change anything!" He said.

"Ugh! You're the one who caused it in the first place, asshole!" Minako yelled.

"And got my damn locker busted!" Kenji added.

"Well, well… ingrates will be ingrates. We won't forget this." Cato said and they left.

We celebrated our win.

Then,

(_06/18/10_)

Monday…

Minako and I joined the Library Club, headed by Ms. Toriumi and Mr. Ono.

There, we had to do our library duties, obviously.

What will happen next, I wonder…?


	12. Bitter Rivalry

Author's notes: Sorry for not being able to update sooner… Just hard to be motivated to write…

I haven't had much motivation to write…

_Maybe some of you could offer motivation?_

_In a nutshell, please review._

_(06/30/10)_

_Saturday…_

The Sports committee responsibilities were basically… easy.

I'm the head and chairman of the sports club, Rio is the activities coordinator and the one who chooses the club colors, Kenji is head of reports, accounting and which foods to use for our teams, Yuko is the head business manager in charge with the supplies, making sure every sports clubs are adequately supplied and finally, Minako is the head of funds and the auditor of the Sports Committee.

Our hangout, ironically, was at the library's spare room that the librarian was kind and generous enough to lend it to us raucous Sports Jocks, which we called the "Pub".

Which makes it easy to go in and about with our Sports committee responsibilities and our Library Club duties.

Also, it was meticulously chosen by Kenji as a location for his locker, located inside the pub.

Of course, we had lockers there as well… but he chose the one between Minako's and my locker.

Even I have to admit, he chose a great location. It's the safest place in school, in theory, for a locker.

But enough about that.

Usually, we would speak to the leaders or representatives of each sports club about financial compensations, auditing materials needed and appointment of club leaders.

Boring, but sometimes it was very nice.

Yuiri Kamika, Captain of the Fencing team, Mitsuru's successor, who looked like a cross of Yukari and Mitsuru, asked for a raise in the funding and us to appoint the officers of her club, Minako, our head of funding and audit, jokingly said:

"You want a promotion? Break out some lotion." She said with a wink, "If you know what I mean…"

Yuiri seemed a bit uncomfortable, so Rio spoke up.

"She's kidding, of course…" Rio said, trying to reassure her, "Right, Minako-chan?"

"Maybe… hehehe…" Minako snickered evilly.

"Don't mind Minako-chan… she's… very... spirited." Rio said.

Then, one day, Cato came up to the Sports Committee room.

Strangely enough, he was alone.

"Are you lost or something?" Kenji said flatly.

Cato glared at Kenji.

"I don't want to be associated with you… _people_, so let's make this quick." Cato said.

We waited.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Well?"

"The exit is over there." Minako said as she looked up boredly as she points at the exit.

Cato's nose flared.

"I am a proud member and head of the Discipline Committee and I demand the respect and dignity that is to be accorded to one as such!" Cato hissed.

"Shhhh!" the librarian said.

"Sorry…" Cato said, "As I said _countless _times, I am to be accorded with utmost respect. That's how it works here. I am of higher importance than you... _plebian._"

"Big deal. You're in Sports Committee turf now, bub! No one gives jack shit who the hell you are!" Minako said.

"SHHHHH!" the librarian chided.

"Sorry." Minako apologized, "Sports Committee. Discipline Committee. TWO different things."

"Is that how you Sports Committee riff-raff treat the aristocrats of this school?!" Cato growled.

"SHHHH!" the librarian said.

"Sorry. Once again, the keyword is ARISTOCRAT." Cato said.

"Aristocrat?! Your uncle sells shrimp at the back of his Nissan Sentra!" Rio pointed out.

Cato looked at Rio.

He had a charming, yet menacing smile.

"Sorry sweety, what my idiot uncle does is none of your concern." Cato said as he winks at Rio.

Kenji bashed his fist on the table and stood up.

Cato just raised one of his eyebrows.

"What's up, Tomochiko?" Cato said snidely.

"It's Tomochika, pea-brain!" Kenji said, "And that's my girl you're talking to!" he hissed.

Rio seemed rather pleased with Kenji's reaction.

"Aw Tomatoes, Potatoes!" Cato said, "How a hottie like Rio ended up with a goof like you, I'll never know!"

"Dumbass!" Kenji said, "As if my Rio-chan would go out with a creep like you!"

"Hush!" the librarian said.

"Sorry!" Kenji said, "But really, Rio would rather date me than you!"

"Yeah!" Rio said.

"Why are you here, Cato?" I said tiredly.

Cato looked at me.

"Finally." He said, "I would like to register my claim for captaincy for the society of the noble sport of pugilism." Cato said grandly, "I am the Captain."

"The captaincy of the what?" Kenji said.

"Pugilism? You guys specialize in copying stuff? I thought its plagiarism?" Minako said.

"Idiots and buffoons!" Cato said, "Pugilism means boxing!"

"There… this whole nauseating conversation would've been much faster if we called a spade a spade." I said.

"Wait a minute… You're the new captain?" Kenji said.

"That's right. What, are you both dumb AND deaf at the same time?" Cato said.

"Just be silent, Kenji... choose your battles." I said, wanting Cato to shut up and leave, taking out the papers and handing it to him, "All you need to do is fill in these papers and you can leave."

He wrote on it.

He handed it to Rio with a wink.

"There you go, sweetie. Treat it gently."

"Sure." Rio said as she crumpled it, "Oops."

"That's it. It's finally official…The Boxing club's going down the drain." Kenji said.

Cato narrowed his blue eyes.

"I happen to be a World Class Boxer." Cato said just as he was about to leave.

"Yeah? Prove it, hotshot." Kenji said, "I bet you couldn't punch the Teddie bear in your sissy room!"

"Are you issuing me with a challenge?" Cato asked.

"You heard me!" Kenji said, "Do it, if you think you're man enough!"

"With… _Pleasure_." Cato said as he pulled back and laid a monstrous right haymaker at one of the lockers, severely damaging one.

To be exact, the one between Minako's and my locker.

He shook his right hand coolly and blew on it.

"My locker!" Kenji moaned.

"Oh my, my, my! Was that your locker?" Cato said, "Good. If you have any more lockers, feel free to tell me."

And with that, he left.

"Sonofabitch!" Kenji yelled.

"SHHHHH!" the librarian said.

"S-sorry!" Kenji said.

Rio shook her head.

"It seems as if Kenji-kun can't get a break from his locker-woes…"

"Yeah… as if someone had cursed him!" Minako said.

Kenji suddenly went stiff.

"W-wait… are you saying that I'm cursed?!" Kenji said.

"That's… _plausible._" I said.

"Holy crap! I need to get out of here! Purify myself and burn my clothes!" then, Kenji ran out screaming.

That's when Yuko and Ms. Toriumi went in.

"What's wrong with Kenji-kun? He ran out of here like a bat out of hell… Did he hear about a free all-you-can-eat Ramen Restaurant?" Ms. Toriumi said.

"Nah… the guy thinks he's cursed." Minako said, "Of course, I tricked him."

"Also, I saw Cato come out of the library, with a look in his face that'd spoil fresh milk… what happened?" Yuko said.

"Aw nothing… he went in here to file for his Captaincy for the Boxing club…" Minako said.

"Give me that for a minute…" Ms. Toriumi said, "It says here that he was recommended a position to the Boxing club by Mr. Ekoda…"

"Figures." I muttered, "What, is he Ekoda's Golden boy or something?" I said.

"Most likely. Ekoda's been buttering him up. Did you know he did the same thing for Cato and his lackeys by appointing them as representatives for the Discipline Committee?" Ms. Toriumi said.

"We knew that already…" I said, "Hidetoshi-senpai told us."

Ms. Toriumi made a disgusted sound.

"Seriously… I hate that guy…"

"Who, Hidetoshi-senpai?" Minako said.

"No, Ekoda of course!" Ms. Toriumi said.

"Oh, yeah… it wouldn't have made sense if you hated Hideto- I mean, proceed."

"Anyway, you're all free for today." Ms. Toriumi said, "Go home, all of you." she said.

That we did.

Rio and Kenji were now officially dating and since they live right next door from each other, Kenji walked her home.

Minako and I were in the same situation, both of us living right next door from each other, but the only difference was that we weren't a couple.

Although, we've been mistaken for a couple for more than a few times.

They say that we look perfect for each other; others say that the way we move when we're together says we're more than friends.

It's true, but Minako is my special friend. She means quite a great deal to me.

"So, whaddya have planned tomorrow?" she said.

"I dunno… I guess… nothing." I said.

"How about I hang out with you?" she said, "You could use a girl in your life." she said before grimacing, "I think that sounded a bit dirty… let me rephrase… You need a girl in your life. There!" Minako said.

I scoffed, "Like you need an invitation to come over! You come to my place whether I want you to or not."

"And don't you forget it." she said.

"Yeah, sure, friend." I said.

After that exchange, she went back to her house and I went to mine.

I decided to call Yukari.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey Yukari!" I said.

"Oh, hey Minato!" she greeted kindly, "Did you need something?"

"Oh, no… I just sorta missed you as all… how are you?" I said.

"I'm fine… I guess I kinda missed you as well…"

"That's great! So… uh… are you free tomorrow? Wanna go out?" I asked.

She hesitated awkwardly.

"Uh… thing is… I have plans." She said.

"Oh… uh… maybe next time then…" I said.

"Sure."

"Is this the part where I leave?" I said.

"Oh no, let's talk for a while! What's the rush?" she said, "I hear you're the head of the Sports Committee, good for you!" she said.

"Thanks. If you want, I can offer you a position." I said.

"That'd be great!" she said enthusiastically, "I'll hold you to it!" she said.

"It's a done deal."

"Hey… you know something?" she asked.

"What…?" I said.

"… I really miss you." she said.

That took me aback.

"I… I miss you too… why can't you and Minako ever be friends?" I said.

"I don't like her… you know that fact very well…" she said.

"Please… let's try, okay?" I said.

"But… I don't want you to hang with her. I know you're never gonna go out with her." She said.

"Why not?" I said.

"Because… you're too nice and she's… well, she's Minako."

"Point taken, but aren't you jealous?" I said.

"Yes I am, but I want to avoid having to fight you. That's why I can't be friends with her." Yukari said.

"I see…"

Then, a voice called Yukari for dinner.

"That's Mom…" she said.

"Oh! Glad to see you've patched things up with your mom again." I said.

"Thanks to you… by the way, that's not my mom… My real mom's at Kyoto. The mom I'm talking to is the mom of my friend, Yuiri."

"Yuiri, the chick captain of the fencing club? Who else do you live with?" I said.

"Fuuka and the new girl, Pink." She said, "Pink is actually a nice girl… Peer pressure sucks." She said.

"Agreed."

"Now, I need to go before Mom chews me out again. Bye!" She said.

"Bye."

It was the usual thing we do on a Saturday night… dancing like drunks and playing chess using the same sketch pad we used for messaging.

Usually, two things would happen.

One, I win. Two, she cheats and she wins. Three, I win and she throws the chessboard in the air.

After that, we slept at the usual time of 10 PM.

In the morning, she went over and had second breakfast with me, Junpei, Akihiko and Leah and then we watched the Tanaka show with Leah, Akihiko and Junpei, where Leah accused Tanaka of being a rip-off artist.

While flipping through the channels, we caught the X-Men Origins movie and watched it.

Midway into the movie, Junpei cracked up.

"*sigh* Leah, looks like you forgot to give Junpei his meds…" Minako said.

"Wouldn't it be funny if Wolverine decided to give you a _prostate_ exam?" he said.

"Ew… that'd probably hurt a lot..." Akihiko said.

"Do people like him even need _prostate_ exams?" Junpei said.

"No way! His _prostate_ is probably made with _adamantium_ or something…" I said.

Junpei whistled.

"I wouldn't want to give him a _prostate _exam…"

"Can we stop talking about _prostates_, PLEASE?" Leah said, "I'm trying to watch my man Hugh Jackman slice and dice villans!"

Minako noticed me checking my cell.

"Expecting a text from me or something?" she said sneakily.

"No, it's not that…Yukari was supposed to go give me a call or something…" I said.

"Oh yeah? Why don't we take a stroll?" she said.

"Sure. Beats staying in all day like SOME people I know who shall not be mentioned…" I said.

"Hey!" Junpei said.

But we were already out of the house.

We passed by the strip mall, when I saw a familiar face.

Yukari, drinking coffee with her friend, Yuiri at the café.

Captain of the Archery club and Captain of the Fencing team drinking coffee…

"Whoa! It's Yukari!" I said.

"And so?" Minako said.

"She was supposed to go out with me." I said sadly.

"What are you gonna do about it?" she said.

"Buy ice cream!" I said.

"Yeah! And smash it into her face?" she said.

"No. Lock myself in my room and eat the ice cream while trying to cry myself to sleep." I said.

"No, genius, I have a plan. A plan that'd make Yukari love you again!" Minako said.

"What?" I said.

"I'd _pretend_ to be your girl." She said simply.

"What?! That'd cause the _opposite _thing to happen!" I said.

"No it won't. Listen, I'd drag you to a big lovey-dovey relationship that's so demanding and at the seventh, I'd break up with you, and you come to Yukari so as she can comfort you. Next thing you know, you two would be lovers again! And get this… at the seventh, is also the number for the Lovers Arcana! Smart, eh?" she said.

I thought about it and it seemed like a swell idea. It sounded fool-proof and the lovers arcana thing that she mentioned was pretty clever for her part.

"Great idea. Let's go!"

With that, Minako and I made our move.


	13. Plans and Regrets

_(07/01/10)_

_Sunday…_

I stopped Minako before we went to work.

"Hey, Minako… what exactly is the true plan?" I asked.

She gave me an annoyed look.

"You forgot already? Alright, listen up… We pretend to be dating, which would be a lot easier since practically everyone already assumes it, and make Yukari jealous in the process and we go in a really vomit inducing lovey dovey sweetie pie pumpkin cake relationship that'd make the goddess of love herself puke rainbows… and since it's the first day today, we break up in the seventh, A.K.A. the number of the Lovers Arcana." She said.

"Sixth."

"What?" she said.

"Sixth. The Lover's Arcana is the sixth arcana." I said.

"Aw, who gives a shit?" she said.

"The one who made the Tarot cards, apparently. And there are quite a lot of holes in your plan… suppose she doesn't get jealous? What if she allows it? What if we actually end up falling in love?" I said half in jest and half in seriousness.

"If we date, then she won't expect you want her to hop in the sack with you." she said, "And if you have a better plan, genius, let's hear it." she said.

I remained silent.

She patted my shoulder in reassurance.

"Hey, don't worry about it… Yukari is a green eyed monster's monster. And we'd never fall in love, bruv! You're my best mate!" she punched me in a friendly way.

_That isn't necessarily true… sometimes, best friends make great lovers… because when the love fades, the friendship remains, _I wanted to say.

"Yeah I guess… let's go…" I said.

Minako and I were hiding behind a bush.

"So, what exactly do I do?" I asked.

She looked at Yukari.

"We walk along the path and you put your arms around me and we pretend we don't see her… simple as that." she said.

I felt really skittish and jittery.

"I change my mind… let's go…" I said.

I tried walking away, but Minako held me with a titan's grip.

"Oh no you don't!" she said, "You're not walking out of this one, buster!"

"Hey! I wanted to go take a stroll!" I protested.

She gave me a very stern look.

"Just do as I say."

I winced.

"… Fine." I conceded.

I put my arm around her and walked along the outdoor café, which Yukari enjoyed a steaming cup of coffee with Yuiri.

I walked slowly and I looked back.

"She didn't even bat an eye at us!" I whispered angrily at Minako, "Your plan is failing us!"

She nods in agreement.

We went around the block and came back to where we came from, the bushes behind the café.

"Hmmm… she probably thinks that we do this as a casual close-friend thing…we need to hit it to turbo mode…" she noticed.

"Turbo mode?" I said, "What… what's turbo mode?" I asked.

She grinned like a nerd in a Star-Trek convention.

"Why are you grinning like that?" I said, "You look creepy, man…"

She stopped smiling and made aseriousface_._

"Put your arm lower." She said.

I did so and my hand was at her upper back.

"Lower." She said.

I went lower and my hand touched her bra-strap.

I waited for her instructions.

"Ugh! Dude, quit playing with my bra-strap and go lower!" she hissed.

"I wasn't!" I denied.

"Come on… you were playing with the hook and snapping the strap… ugh! Just go lower already! And no detours!" she barked.

I went lower and my hands were at her lower-back.

"You need to go lower." She said.

"Lower?! If I go any lower, I'd be touching _Ground Zero_!" I complained.

She looked at me flatly.

"Go lower." She said.

"But… I'd be touching your…" I hesitated.

"Fine! I give you full permission to touch my _posterior _region." She said.

"Your what?"

"Just lower your hand and touch my butt!" she yelled loudly.

I hesitated and she threw a tantrum.

"Alright already!" I said and, very reluctantly, went lower.

"Now… put your hands at my back pocket." She said.

Since she wore those knee-length punk jeans, her back pocket was unbelievably tight, so I had to really squeeze my hands in.

"What are you doing? I said put your hand in my back-pocket, not grope my butt to jelly!" she complained.

"What are you talking about? I can barely fit a finger here!" I said.

Then, I noticed a slim guy staring at us.

"Aw, what are you looking at, pal? Take a hike!" she hissed and the guy ran off.

"Just hold still…" I dove my entire hand in her pocket.

"Ugh…" I said as we walked smugly.

I whispered to her, "Why am I the only one doing this?" I said.

She slapped her hand to my butt and it stayed there.

I gave a sharp yelp.

"Don't mention it." she said smugly.

When we passed by them, I saw Yukari immediately look at us from the corner of my eye.

_Meanwhile… at the café table of Yukari…_

"Isn't that Minato-kun?" Yuiri said.

Yukari looked at us.

"Nah, that can't be him… with a redhead… touching her…" her eyes widen.

"Is it him?" Yuiri asked.

"It… it… it's him!" Yukari seemed rather shocked.

"Calm down, Yukari…" Yuiri said.

"I… I better give him a call…" Yukari said.

My phone rang.

"It's her!" I said.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Answer it, silly!" Minako said.

I did so.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey, Minato… it's me." Yukari said.

"Well, the caller ID gave me a pretty good clue…" I said, "Anything you need?" I said.

"I need to ask a question, but don't think I'm prying…"

"I won't. Ask away, Yuks."

"Yeah, well, where are you and who are you with?" Yukari said.

I covered the receiver.

"She's asking me where and who I'm with! What should I say?" I said.

"Tell her the truth! And put that on loudspeaker!" Minako said.

"Wilco." I said and talked to Yukari.

"I'm with Minako, near the strip mall." I said.

"Are you now… on a date?" she said.

"Ah…" I looked at Minako for confirmation, who just nodded with enthusiasm, "Yeah. We are on a date."

"I see… you two a couple?" she said.

"Yes." I said with much hesitation.

"Hmmm… how about you two come over to the café and have a few cups of coffee with me and Yuiri?" she offered.

"Uhhh… we… uhhh…"

Minako made a _DO NOT DO IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES _gestures.

"We can't… we have… things to do." I said.

"Oh, but we just ordered a batch of freshly baked blueberry muffins…" Yukari said temptingly.

"Sorry, but we-"

"WE'D LOVE TO GO!" Minako yelled.

"Great. See you!" Yukari said and hung up.

I looked at Minako flatly.

"You have no shame, haven't you?" I said.

"Shame, none. Plateful of blueberry muffins, yes." She said and walked along, dragging me with her because I had my hand firmly anchored in her back-pocket.

Yukari and her friend, Yuiri greeted us warmly.

"Have a seat, you two!" Yukari said a bit stiffly.

We did and Minako seemed, or at least acted, nice.

"Hello, Yuka-tan!" Minako said.

Yukari seemed a bit annoyed at Minako's directness, seeing as only Junpei called her Yuka-tan.

"Hello, Minako-_chan_…" Yukari said coldly, "Help yourself." She points to the plate that had so many muffins, they were able to make a pyramid of it.

"Don't mind if I do." Minako said and stuffed her face.

Yukari and I looked at each other as Yuiri awkwardly sat there.

"So… you two are dating… since when?" Yukari said.

"Quite recently…" I said, trying to stay in the safe side.

"Ah…" Yukari said, "And you two are in love?" she said.

"I can't say for certain, but we're still finding it." I said.

"Okay… so… since we're all practically adults here, I'd like to apologise to you, Minako, for my past behavior." Yukari said.

"Apology accepted." Minako said in-between bites.

"Well…?" Yukari said.

"Oh yeah… this is the best muffins I've ever had." Minako said, "Thanks for inviting us!" she said.

"Pray don't mention it." Yukari said tiredly.

"So… we can be friends again?" I said.

Yukari smiled and nodded.

"Yes. I just want us all to be happy as friends." Yukari said, "Because, quite frankly, I'd rather be your friend, Minato, than not have you in my life at all."

I smiled warmly, "Thanks…" I gave her a hug and I was surprised at the reciprocation of her hug.

Then, we all walked home together.

I went to my room and wrote:

Minato (me): THAT TURNED OUT WELL…

Minako: IKR? AM I A GENIUS OR WAT?

Minato (me): YOU R… WATS UR NEXT PLAN, EYENSTEIN?

Minako: HEHEHEHE… WAIT AN SEE, BUB…

Minato (me): NOTHING CRAZY, OKAY HONEY-BUN?

Minako: NONE

And with that, we both went to sleep.

_(07/02/10)_

_Monday..._

When we walked together, Minako said that I should act incredibly lovey dovey, so I did.

But… I might have laid it a little too thick…

"Oh, Minako, my sweet, sweet little honey-bun, I love youuuuu!" I said, brushing her stray hair behind her ears.

"Oh, thank you so much, my dear sweetie pie, Minato!" she said, giving me a small kiss.

When we were outside the classroom, we were still holding hands.

"Oh my dear honey-bunch! I swear I shall die if we part ways! Please, remember me…" I said, hugging her intimately.

Then, a voice, Rio, spoke up.

"Geez louise! You two go to the same class together!"

For show, we would not let go of each other's hand that at the end of the day, out hands became sore.

Ekoda even poked fun at us, but then again, he always does that.

"What, why are you two holding hands? Are you two afraid of losing each other or something?" he said snidely, but I was on a roll.

"No, sir… if my dear Minako-chan were to be lost, my heart would be lost as well and I might as well be dead… Minako is my little darling sweetie-pie, after all!" I said.

To prove how effective that was, Fuuka puked.

"I think we need to scrap the whole lovey-dovey thing, honey-bun…" Minako said.

"Why is it so, sugarplum?"

"Because! You're laying it a little too thick, my dove... even Fuuka puked!" She said.

"I see… besides, I was acting to OOC for my own good…" I said.

Even if the lovey-dovey theme was scrapped, we still held on to the holding of each other's hands and the pet-names.

_(07/03/10)_

It was recess, morning.

"You ready for the plan?" Minako said.

"What's the plan?" I said.

"First of all, you want some gum?" she said, pulling out two wads of gum.

"Yeah, sure." I said.

She threw one of the wads away.

"Great… now what?" I said.

"The plan." She said, eyeing Yukari in the distance.

She pops the gum in her mouth and chews as she tells me to sit down across her.

"THIS is out plan? Block the hallway while you eat gum?" I said.

"Not I." she said, popping the gum out and said: "Open up."

I looked at her until I finally understood.

"No fucking way. You must be out of your mind if you think that I'd-" she then impatiently steps on my toe and forces me to chew on the gum.

"Chew!" she hissed.

I did so and it felt both unhygienic and weird.

I popped it out and she chew on it as well.

Yukari passed by and gave a meaningful and envious look at us.

"Hey Yuka-tan!" Minako said.

Then, Junpei passed by.

"Hey! That's my line!" he said, "And… WHAT are you two doing?" he said.

"None of your business. Go away." Minako said.

"Alright, alright, sheesh!" Junpei said, "You're as bad as Yuka-tan, Minako-san!"

Yukari looks at me longingly as I waved goodbye as Minako hands me the gum back.

As we were done with the Badminton practice, I told her it felt… strange about how good and bad sharing gum with her felt.

"That's how you do it." she said.

"I'm guessing there's more to come…" I rolled my eyes.

_(07/04/10)_

Kenji was wiping an aluminum locker.

"Like my new locker?" he said, buffing it with bear grease, "My astrologist recommended it." he said.

"Cool. What else?" Minako said.

"Look what I have." He took something from his shirt-pocket, revealing a Dragon sticker.

"Whoa… you got a Kohryu Dragon car sticker! That's pretty rare!" I said.

"Relax, it's a sticker my astrologist recommended… cost me quite a lot… my weeks allowance," Kenji sticks the sticker to his locker, "This sticker will protect my new locker from harm!" he said, leaning beside his locker.

"Hmmm…" Minako thought for a while, then suddenly kicked the locker, destroying it.

"My locker!" Kenji moaned.

"Ahahaha! I hope you get your money back!" Minako snickered.

"Sorry… I'll ask Hidetoshi to streamline your locker request…" I said.

Afternoon dismissal, Minako and I went to the Persimmon tree, which now overlooks the Archery Range about four meters behind the range, and we lay there.

She crossed her legs and I laid my head on her lap.

Yukari was so distracted, she couldn't hit any of the targets and the moderator got mad at her, which I felt a bit guilty about.

She gave another look at me.

Then, we went home and she schemed the next… scheme.

Yukari went by and we hung out as I introduced her to Leah, who, knowing Leah's warm personality, befriended Yukari.

_(07/05/10)_

I was at the library after classes, streamlining Kenji's request as promised, when Minako came to me.

"Listen! Listen!" she said breathless.

"Take a deep breath and talk." I said.

"Okay… *takes a deep breath* I overheard the Archery club having a dinner party at the Classy restaurant near the SEES mall and we need to go get ready for an impromptu date. Are you with me?" She said.

"Do I even have a choice?" I said.

Before I knew it, as soon as I was finished, I was getting ready for the date.

When I went down, Leah seemed surprised.

"Where are you off to, you stud?" she said.

"On a date." I said.

"On a school night? You're pretty bad-ass, ain't cha?"

"It's only with Minako." I said.

"Ah… with Minako, it's hard to see who'd do most of the eating: you or her…"

I went to Minako's place and she went out wearing a dazzling black gown, which I gawked at.

She had taken off her ponytail, which gave her an air of nobility and maturity.

"Do I look hot?" she asked.

"Very." I said, gulping.

"Hahaha… let's go. You drive _Mutsuhito_." She said.

We drove to the Restaurant and we found the place sort of empty, but we had no prior reservations.

That's when I used an old trick.

I went to a waitress, shook her hand, which had 1000 yen and said, "Find us some shade."

"This way, sir."

We found a seat quite near the Archery club and yet far enough for us to barely see their heads.

"Great… how are we gonna get their attentions now?" I said.

"Watch this… I'm going to say something very sexy…" she said.

"Go on…" I said.

She looked around, "Oh Minato! I can't wait 'till we get home so you can watch me have my _PERIOD_!"

I just looked at her, mouth agape.

"What the hell is the matter with you?! That's not sexy!" I growled.

"Shut up, she's coming!" she whispered.

Yukari had a warm smile.

"Minato! Good to see you two here!" she said, "What are you guys doing on a date on a school night?" she asked.

"Secret… we're planning to go for a walk later…" she said.

"I see…" Yukari said, looking forlorn, "Well, please enjoy your night!" she said.

She left the restaurant with her friends.

"Aw, that's no good…" I said, "She left!" I said.

"In jealousy. She left in jealousy." Minako said.

"Well, no point staying here…" I said.

"Wait, I'm hungry…" she flips the menu and saw the outrageously high prices and called the waiter.

"Waiter, the price of the lobster is ludicrous! You expect me to pay this much for a sea-spider?!" Minako said.

"Sorry _Mademoiselle, _but ze lobster was flown spezially from America." The waiter said.

"Flown? Couldn't you have just bought the ones that _swam _here?" she said, "In any event, we're leaving…" she said as she stood up.

"*ahem* a tip would be customary." He said.

"Here's a tip: Don't wear too much cologne!" Minako said.

The waiter took a bottle of cologne from his coat pocket and threw it away.

Minako and I just had a home cooked meal at home, courtesy of Leah.

_(07/06/10)_

Minako and I didn't do anything today other than to pretend to fight. All part of the plan.

We also made sure Yukari saw it.

How she didn't suspect a thing made me wonder.

_(07/07/10)_

Yukari went over to the house after Leah invited her to try Leah's peach cobbler.

She was to see our fight.

Minako and I were upstairs.

"Ready to break up?" I said, extending my hand.

She held it.

"Better that we break." She said, referencing Maroon 5's song.

"_Once more, unto the breach dear friends_…" I said.

I nodded.

"YOU BIG STUPID JERK!" Minako yelled, then she whispered, "I love acting!"

She pulled me downstairs.

We went down really angrily.

Yukari looked up from a bow magazine she was reading.

"I don't give a shit if you loved me with all your heart! I hate your face anyways!" she yelled.

"Don't say that!"

Yukari and the others were looking on, as if they were spectating a fight in the street.

"B-But Minako!" I pleaded.

"A-and I don't care i-if you told me that you'd love me forever! Because… you're a liar!" she said and turned around.

"I-I mean… I'm tired of lying about how much you really love me because you're not showing all your love!" she said, "And I'm now invulnerable to your remarkably potent charms!" then, halfway to the door, she said, "And I want love!" and with that, she left.

I began making crocodile tears.

"I thought we had something special!" and I just bawled.

"Oh! Oh! There there…" Yukari said, letting me cry on her shoulder.

"Yukari… I'm sorry… can we ever get back together?" I said.

She smiled kindly.

"Yes. I love you, Minato-kun!"

With that, we kissed.

It seemed quite some time since she kissed me, so it felt really strange.

I hugged her and saw on the rain spattered window, Minako in the rain waving wistfully at me.

I didn't know if she was crying or the rain…

Then, I knew that there was a chance I couldn't hang out with Minako much anymore…

_Meanwhile… outside…_

Minako felt conflicted.

_I know that was play-acting and all… but… I think I like Minato…_

She walked in the drizzling rain.

She found herself crying.

_I'm… crying… why am I crying?_

_Is it because there was a chance I'd never see Minato without Yukari getting mad, or have I fallen in love with my friend?_

_No… I couldn't be that…_

She looked up in the sky.

The cloudy grey sky reflected her mood. Dark and dreary.

Then, she looked in the living room window and saw Yukari and Minato kissing.

She cried even harder at the somewhat ridiculous thought of her friend falling in love with someone else.

Even as a child, Minako loved walking in the rain.

She even named herself, _Minako Rainwalker._

She was then thankful for the rain.

_The reason why I love walking in the rain is because… no one will know I'm crying._

She then went home and cried herself to sleep, not knowing if that was sickness or if she had fallen for Minato.

She regretted what she did.


	14. Night out

_(07/12/10)_

_Thursday…_

I sorta felt bad for Minako…

Usually, we'd hang out together, but Yukari would cling to my arm and I couldn't find any opportunities to chat with Minako, who'd hang with either Rio or Kenji during break time and the only time I'd be able to talk with her is at either Sports Committee or Badminton Practice… which to me is so meager.

She very much welcome to visit the house, which she always does, because she'd come by to hang out with the guys. Last Sunday, she was there, but I didn't see much of her, since Yukari and I had a date that day.

And then, I realized I really missed Minako.

Her craziness, her laughter, her sense of humor and her lyrical soul…her ability to love under the best and worst of circumstances.

And since Yukari was my girlfriend, I thought it'd be fair to tell Minako we couldn't see each other as much.

_Lockers…_

Minako was putting some books on her locker.

"Hey…" I said.

She looked at me.

"Oh! Hey bestie!" she punches me in a friendly way, "What's up?"

"Minako… it's about Yukari…" I said.

"So… you two got to second base with her?" Minako said, "Way to go, bucko!"

"No… it's not that…" I said sadly, "I… don't think I'd be able to see you as much…" I said.

Her face disheartened.

"I… see… Well, good for you, prioritizing!" she said solemnly.

"I'm really sorry…" I said.

She slams her locker.

"Yeah… me too." She then walks away.

But today, Yukari noticed my strange behavior.

While we were eating lunch…

I was thinking about my times with Minako.

"Minato…" she said.

"Huh?" I said.

"I just asked you a question." She said.

"Uh… yeah, sure, whatever…" I said, very much distracted.

She looks at me for a while.

"…What?"

"You're still hung over with Minako, aren't you?" she said.

"Minako? No… I told her that we couldn't hang out anymore…" I said.

Yukari seemed confused.

"Why not?"

That had ME confused.

"Because we're going out…?" I said.

She shook her head.

"Minato, whoever your friends are isn't really any of my concern. I mean, not that I _like_ Minako or anything, but if she really is your friend, I guess I'll have to accept that fact." Yukari said.

"Really?" I said.

"Besides, did you ever hear me say that?" she said.

"Well, you kinda… uh…" I said, sort of speechless.

"In a nutshell, you can be friends with Minako." She said, smiling.

When I heard those words, I lifted her up and gave her a juicy kiss.

I ran to Minako, who was enjoying a candy bar.

I panted and panted while she chewed on her candy bar.

She looked at me as if she was surprised.

"Oh? You better go!" Minako said, "Yukari might see you."

"That's why… I'm here… we… can be… friends again… whew…" I said.

Minako smiled.

"That's great!" she said and we hugged.

Later, Yukari and I were walking home and across the street, Minako was walking down the street and I yelled out a hello for her.

She smiled and waved back and she didn't see the truck looming from behind her.

"TRUUUUUCK!" I yelled.

She just squinted her eyes and when she turned around, her face went like: :O

Instead of moving, she just stood there.

Time seemed to slow down.

The truck swooshed by and I screamed in grief.

I wished I could talk to her one last time…

When the truck passed, I feared the worst, but to my extreme surprise, she was on the side of the road, with a red-headed kid holding her.

Quan had saved Minako's life.

"Quan… thanks…" I said to him.

Quan winked at me.

"Nothing an extremely talented star basketball player couldn't handle." He said, though his shirt-sleeve was torn from saving Minako.

"Well, sad to say, that extremely talented star basketball player saved my life…" Minako said, breathless, "I owe you my life, dude."

Quan swept his hands over his hair: "No thanks needed, sweet-cheeks, I know I rule…" he said, "Though… I DO need… one thing." He said.

"What?" Minako's face faltered.

"A kiss." He said.

"Don't push it, pal." Minako said.

"Fine… how about we go out on a date?" Quan said, "This Sunday."

Minako pondered about it.

"Alright, fine. But you pay for me."

"Well, of course!" Quan said, "Anything for my lady."

Minako gave him a sour look.

"Don't push it, Quan Lao!"

(_07/15/10_)

_Sunday_…

Yukari and I didn't have any dates today, since she needed to study for the exams.

Since Minako and I study every night, we were free to do what we wanted.

She stopped by today.

"Hey bestie! I'm gonna go now! We're off to watch "Friday the 13th" remake!" she said.

"You don't really need to ask my permission, you know…" I said.

She smiled, "I knew you'd say that… don't go on spying on us now!" Minako said.

"Why would I?" I said.

"I dunno… maybe I might kiss Quan?" she said.

"Really? You'd do that?" I said.

She scrunched up her nose, "Yeah… no. That sounds repulsive."

"I know."

"Alright, I better skedaddle now…" she said, "Bye."

I tried to study but I couldn't study at the thought of Minako out on a date.

I looked at the wall clock and there was enough time to get dressed.

My conscience told me that spying on them is unethical.

But before it can speak anymore, I was already dressed and on my way to the cinemas.

I bought a ticket and went in.

I found a seat overlooking the lower seats, because I spotted the duo sitting there.

As I sat down, I noticed a person beside me.

"Cato? What are YOU doing here?" I said.

He gave me an annoyed look.

"Well, if you must know, I'm here to supervise things… as the head of the Disciple Committee, I must supervise all the dates of my members." He said simply.

"Bullshit. You're here to spy on them, aren't you?" I said.

"I'm also here to see if the movie is appropriate for a date." Cato said.

"It's rated PG-16! Quan and Minako are 17!" I said.

"Shhh!" someone behind us said.

"Then tell me this…what are YOU doing here?" he said.

"The best guy friend of the girl always arrives early to pick her up. Any idiot knows that!"

A person from behind us said: "Excuse me, sir, but could you please sit down?"

"Sorry." I said, sitting down.

An usher went at the end of the aisle, flashing a flashlight at us.

"Is there a problem here?" he said.

"Yes, this… _barbarian _is harassing me." Cato said.

"This asshole is guilty of over-disciplining." I said.

"Well, you two cut that out before I throw you out." He said and left.

Cato kept pointing at me.

I just shook my head.

I looked at Minako and Quan.

Quan pretended to stretch and moved his arm.

His arm was now around Minako's shoulders.

I sat next to Cato.

"I don't believe this!"

"What?" Cato said.

I gnashed my teeth, "He's doing _the move_!"

Cato seemed confused, "What move?"

I tried to explain, but I thought it'd be better if I show him.

"You're sitting in a theater… and you fake a big YAAAAWN…_ man, am I tired…_" I stretch and I inconspicuously put my arms around Cato's shoulders, "Hand comes over and I get all the free space." I said, putting my head at his shoulder.

"Oh dear lord!" someone shouted behind us.

"Queer!"

"Gaylord!"

"Pretty pony gay boys!"

Cato's eyes flared, "No, I don't know "_The move", _unlike you _horny barbarians_, I have self-control, respect!" Cato said, "I am not, nor will I ever be, a hormonal teenager."

"I see."

He gestured my arm.

"Would you please!"

I scoffed.

"Your little buddy down there is a _horny barbarian_ just like everyone else." I said.

Cato seemed surprised.

"Take that back!" he said.

I snorted.

"No way."

He pushed me.

"Take it back." He said.

"Did you just push me?" I said.

He pushed me again.

I pushed him.

Then, he pushed me a bit too hard and I fell off the balcony, but he managed to catch me.

Minako looked and threw Quan's arm away.

Needless to say, we were thrown out.

Quan and Minako joined us.

"You kinda sorta saved me." I said.

"Wouldn't do me any good if you died… no matter how tempting the idea seems…" he said.

We parted ways and Minako repeatedly thanked me.

Then, we went home.

When I went there, I saw an old friend… sorta.

A woman with orange-red hair was tutoring Junpei.

"Hey guys…" I said awkwardly.

They looked up.

"Oh, hey Minato!" Junpei said.

"How do you do?" the lady said.

"Chidori…" was all I can say.

"Yes. It is I." she said.

"Tutoring Junpei? Good luck." I said, "Don't mind me… I'm just gonna go up to my room…" I said.

The next day…

_(07/16/10)_

_Monday_…

We had physics exam today.

I answered it the best I can.

(_07/17/10)_

_Tuesday…_

History exam.

Thanks to Mr. Ono's after school lectures, which was against our will, Rio, Minako, Yuko, Kenji and I aced it very easily.

(_07/18/10)_

_Wednesday_…

Composition exams…

Again, Ms. Toriumi gave us after school lectures.

Needless to say, we aced it.

(_07/19/10)_

_Thursday…_

Literature…

Since Ekoda is a giant idiot, his lectures often gave out key hints and whatnot.

Also, Minako lent me a book about _Macbeth…_

(_07/20/10)_

_Friday…_

_Mathematics…_

This one gave me a headache, but I remembered all of the things I studied, so it was easy.

Also, this was the last day of exams!

(_07/21/10)_

Today was rest day, so I just watched TV, called Yukari and played Tetris.

But… today was anything BUT ordinary.

6 PM…

I was in my room, reading _Otaku _magazine and reading the most amazing volumes of _Gacha-Gacha _and _Ai Yori Aoshi _manga, when I Junpei called.

"Yo dude!" he said.

"Yo… where are you?" I said.

"Over at Chidori's… I'm going back there later, so don't worry." Junpei said.

"Yeah… don't do anything inappropriate…" I said.

"I won't!" he said.

"I think… Minako's pretty." I said.

"Really? Why?" he said.

"I don't know why, but… she's like an angel… she has a very beautiful smile, man… you know." I said.

"Did you bang her?" he said.

"Oh yeah, yeah, sure I banged her." I said sarcastically.

"That's what a man does… but I'm all over that. Chidori's the only woman who'll ever bear my Dragon seeds." He said.

"Give me a minute to puke."

Then, I saw Minako enter her room.

Since my lights were off and I used my reading lamp, she didn't see me.

To my surprise, she undressed.

First with her shirt.

"Oh my God, she's so hot…" I muttered.

"What channel, dude?" Junpei said, his voice suddenly becoming serious.

"No, no… it's Minako… I can see her through my window…" I said.

"You just noticed her hotness?!"

"No… she's… undressing…"

She then took off her pants.

"How's her boobs?" he asked.

"What the hell…" I said.

"How's the boobs?!" he asked.

"Hold on and relax." I said.

"No, you relax and get your ass over there!" Junpei said.

I hung up.

He called again.

"Yo! What happened man? What happened?" he said and I turned off the phone.

I stared as she unhooked her bra and took it off, her back facing against me.

The phone rang and I answered it.

"Dude, what the fuck?" it was Junpei again and I hung up.

She then took off her underwear and I saw her smooth, pale and luscious buttocks.

She turned around and I caught a glimpse of her full, round and beautifully pink boobs.

Her… downstairs, I didn't get a _good_ look, but…

She saw me and I ducked as fast as lightning.

"Shit…"

I felt a sense of dread.

When I peeped again, her lights were off and I saw her walking towards our house.

_I'm_ _dead_.

My posters of Greenday seemed to say to me: _You're toast._

My poster of Uncle Sam pointed at me.

Leah's call surprised me.

"Minato! Come down here." Akihiko said.

My heart literally seemed to beat out of my chest while I went down.

I was on top of the stairs when I saw Leah and Minako chat.

"What were you doing up there?" Akihiko said.

"N-Nothing."

Minako raised her eyebrows as if to say _are you sure?_

"Minako here wants you to show her around." Leah said, "You will, won't you?" she said.

"Y-Yeah… sure." I said.

Minako seemed to give me a weird look.

We were riding awkwardly at the _Mutsuhito_.

Unusually enough, she drove.

"S-So… Long road huh? Uhhh… where do you want to go?" I asked.

She stopped.

"What are we doing?" I said.

"Did you like what you saw?" she said.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" I said, trying to play dumb.

"Did you like what you saw?" she said.

"I-I… It… was an accident." I said.

"An accident."

"Yes, an accident. I was in my room and I saw you for like… an instant." I said.

" An instant."

"Yeah… so, yeah… not really a big deal…"

She smirked.

"Uh… I mean, yeah it kinda was a big deal… but… I'm sorry."

"What are we gonna do about this, bestie?" she said.

"Well, I did say I was sorry…" I said.

She gave me another _oh come on _face.

"What?"

"You saw me." she said.

"So…?"

"Now I need to see you." she said.

"Yeah right, as if I'd be batshit crazy enough to do that!" I said.

She stared at me and before I knew it, I was on the road, in my underwear.

She turned on the headlights, so I covered my junk.

"The whole package, Minato!" she said from the car.

"Come on! This is about as good as it's gonna get!" I said.

She honked the horn really loud.

"ALRIGHT!" I shouted, "Geez… goddamned psycho…" I took off my underwear and tossed it.

"There! Are you happy now?" I said.

The car lurched forward and she fished out my underwear.

"Yep." She said.

"Hey! Wait!" I said, running after the car.

I ran about a hundred meters naked in the cold night.

She stopped the car as I used a baseball to hide my junk.

"You asshole! That wasn't funny!" I said.

"It was funny to me." she said.

"Come on, let me in…" I said.

"Come in." she said.

And when I tried going in, she'd step on the gas.

"Come on!" I shouted and she kept doing that for a while.

I was finally in the car and we stopped by a diner and had a few bites.

We chatted about stuff.

About what crazy things we should do now that we were graduating.

Then, her eyes sparkled.

"I have an idea!" she said.

She drove her car to a classy neighborhood.

She stopped.

We went out and she climbed on to a fence.

"This is nuts! We're breaking and entering!" I said.

"Blah blah blah!" she said, "Let's go!" she said.

There was a nice pool.

"I am not stripping again." I said, "Come on, let's go!"

She looked at the pool tentatively.

"How do you know there's no one in?" I said.

"I don't. That's the fun part." She said.

"This is insanity!" I said.

She took off her clothes.

I preceded taking off mine as well.

"Nice. Boxer-briefs." She said.

"Thanks…" I said.

"Now… is this the craziest thing you've done or what?" she said.

"Yep." I said.

We swam and played for a while, until the lights inside the house turned on.

"Holy shit!" I said.

"Hey, calm down… let's just slip away!" she said.

"No… not that… it's… Ekoda!" I said and almost strangled Minako, "You lead me into Ekoda's house?!" I said.

"Hey, I didn't know!" she said.

"Seriously, let's haul ass!" I said.

And as Ekoda opened the door, we bolted.

"Damn you crazy kids!" he yelled.

We drove back to my house, all wet.

_Meanwhile…_

Kenji, Junpei and Akihiko were inside watching T.V.

"Dude, why are we watching Legally Blonde?" Kenji asked.

"Shut up, Chidori recommended it… you'll learn to like it."

The doorbell rang and all of them answered it.

"I'm all wet, can I come in?" she said.

Kenji's mouth was agape and so were Junpei's and Akihiko's.

"Hey guys!" I said, "We took a dip at Ekoda's."

"Badass." Akihiko said.

"We're going out, so how about you guys join us?" I said.

"Can I use your bathroom?" she said.

"Yeah… you know the way." Junpei said.

She went in.

"Bro…" Kenji said.

"Yep."

"Dude…" Junpei said.

"Yep."

"Man…" Akihiko said.

"Yep…"

We drove to a party, around the neighborhood.

It wasn't a comfortable ride, since it only had two seats in front, but we all managed to squeeze in.

"What the hell are we doing here?" Junpei said.

"This is gonna get broken up by the Police, isn't it?" Kenji said.

We went in the party, where it seemed Akihiko knew most of them.

"Senpai! Glad you can make it!" one of them said.

"Hey." Akihiko said.

He stayed in the living room and chatted with some guys who apparently were from the Boxing team.

Kenji and Junpei hung out back and Minako and I decided to mingle.

"So… what do we do?" I said.

"We just chill." She said.

"Hi guys!" Quan said.

"Yo Quan! This a party of yours?" Minako said.

"Nope. The Boxing Club's reunion." He said.

"What's up?" I said.

"Want something to drink?" he said.

"Uh, sure." We said.

"Great." He said and took a few drinks away from Hortez.

Hide tapped me.

"Can you come here for a while?" he said.

"Sure."

I went with him.

"Sup." I said.

"This party is getting full and as the Emissary of Cato, I hereby say you get out." He said.

"So?" I said.

"That means you have to take off." He said.

"Sure, but she's with me." I said.

"Don't worry, she's well taken care of. There's the door, punk." Hide said and left.

I looked on as Quan talked to Minako.

I tried to go, but I couldn't.

I couldn't just stand there while someone tried to trick my Minako.

I walked defiantly there and brushed Hide aside and Quan as well.

"Excuse me."

As I said that, I looked into Minako's starry red eyes and gave her something she never expected.

I kissed my bestfriend.

Time seemed to slow down as Quan walked away.

Minako strangely held my face.

"Thanks." She said.

After that, we went home.


	15. The Oathkeeper

_(07/21/10)_

_Saturday, around 8 PM…_

We were all crammed inside _Mutsuhito _and the atmosphere was very tense.

In particular, Minako was strangely quiet.

Maybe it was because I kissed her out of nowhere.

_Now it dawned on me that it probably wasn't a great idea to kiss her, especially since I had a steady girlfriend…_

"So… uh…" I began.

"Um… bestie… don't take this the wrong way, but why'd you kiss me?" she asked.

I stammered and said: "I don't know…"

"Ah…" she said, "So… you were jealous that Quan was talking to me and you decided to kiss me to make him go away." She said playfully.

My mind immediately went to red alert. I did the most practical thing to do at that moment.

I kept quiet.

"Yeah… right… what a dumb idea…" she mutters, "Never mind that..." she said.

"Yeah, dumb idea…" I said absent-mindedly, "As if I want to kiss YOU."

Too late to realize what I said, I looked at her and she had an angry face on.

"Well, sorry for the obvious joke. Forget I said anything!" she said angrily.

"Hey, look, what I meant is that I'd rather kiss you than Quan, that was a compliment!" I said.

"Truck!" Junpei shouted and I immediately swerved away from the eighteen-wheeler truck.

Akihiko and Junpei were hugging each other as they screamed.

"Goddamned truck drivers…" I muttered.

"And that's suppose to make me feel better?!" she said angrily.

"Well, yeah! I meant nothing by it!" I said.

"You damn liar!" she said, "You obviously meant something by it!" Minako snarled.

"CAR!" Akihiko yelled.

Junpei covered his eyes.

I swerved away from the car with an annoyingly nauseating speed.

"Christ, that was crazy!" Junpei screamed.

"Look, that was a joke, okay?" I said.

"That doesn't seem like it!" she said.

"Goddamned it! Can you two idiots please stop arguing while our lives are in danger?!" Akihiko said.

"That's it!" Minako said, "Get out!" she said.

"But…" I said, "We're in the middle of the highway…"

"OUT!" she said.

I stepped out.

She drove away with Junpei and Akihiko.

I had to weave through rush hour traffic and lost one of my sneakers to a stray dog before arriving home.

Minako was waiting there and I knew that confrontation was unavoidable.

"What the hell was that all about, eh?" she said.

At that point, I was ready to explode but I kept my cool.

"Nothing! Why are you making this such a big deal?" I said.

"Big deal? BIG DEAL?!" she shook with anger, "You only kissed me and said you didn't want to!" she said, "I'm sure that's NO big deal!"

"Hey, I didn't mean that!" I said.

"I'm sure you didn't!" she yelled and went in her house.

I wanted to follow, but a voice inside me said, _give her time._

So, because I didn't want to go home since I felt a bit guilty, I decided to crash over by her porch.

Leah brought me some MRE's (Meals Ready-to-Eat) she packed (she's a weird one…) and I stayed by her door, so I don't miss her, because knowing her, she'd come over by my house whether we were friends or not…

As I munched on the MRE's, I started to notice why soldiers call them Meals Ready-to-Expel, Meals Rejected-by-Everyone and Meals Rejected-by-Everyone…

The Frankfurt's were awful and some of it tasted stale, but I ate it as I was hungry.

By and by, I fell asleep.

I woke up prematurely by 3 AM because of the garden sprinklers and found that someone had placed a blanket on me.

I tried to think of who did it, but since I felt really sleepy, I fell back to my peaceful slumber.

My next awakening was much less pleasant.

It was morning, 8 A.M. and I was still dozing off by Minako's front door while she brought a vegetable basket with her.

Minako toppled over me and we fell off her porch stairs with a cry.

Luckily, she wasn't hurt because something soft and squishy had broken her fall… that soft and squishy thing would be me.

"What the hell…" she groaned as she examined her hand which she thought was bloodied, but was actually just wet with tomato mush.

"Ooooh… I think I broke something…" I said and picked something out of my back, which was a carrot.

"Dude, what the freak were you doing there!?" she said.

"Sleeping by your porch." I said it casually as if to say _oh, I took a glass of water off your refrigerator, no biggie._

"Oh yeah… I forgot about that." she said, "I mean, WHY were you sleeping there?" she said as she picked up the unspoilt, unbruised crops.

"Because…" I was then speechless because now that I think of it… _what WAS I doing, sleeping on her porch?_

"No reason. So you wouldn't be mad at me." I said.

"Why would I be mad at you?" she said.

"Yesterday, for being a jerk…" I said as I helped her pick up the crops.

"Oh… well, you know that was just yesterday, right?" she said, "I realized I might have overreacted…" she said.

"Yeah…" I said, remembering my walk home.

"And besides, you were my first kiss, homie!" Minako said, punching me in the shoulder.

"Really?" I said, suddenly self-conscious if I did it properly, because I was a little bit out of practice.

"Best kiss ever!" she said.

"Shhh!" I said.

"Hey, no use doing that, home-boy, since about fifty five people in that party saw you sucking my face."

"I did not suck your face!" I said, "Wait, what?" I said.

Then, I realized that she was correct about the part where people see us kissing.

"Oh crap… I'm toast!" I said, "I'll have to leave town… change my name… "

I then thought of several names, until Minako snapped at me.

"Don't worry. No one will rat you out…" Minako said, "How many people know about you and Yukari?" she said.

"Just the three of us… I think."

"There! No need to worry, bruv!" she said.

"Yeah I guess…" I said, "Anyway, do you know who put a blanket over me?" I said.

"I did…I don't know why, but I placed a blanket over you..." she said.

"I hope that blanket wasn't contaminated with smallpox or leprosy or something…" I said.

"Much worse!" she said with a crazy gleam in her eyes.

"What?" I said, fearing ANYTHING worse than smallpox or leprosy.

"My Aunt's blanket!" she said.

"Noooo!"

Later, we went at my house.

Junpei and Akihiko were at the living room, watching TV.

"Where have you been, Minato?" Akihiko said, "We haven't seen you since last night!"

"I slept over Minako's house." I said.

"Lucky." Junpei mutters.

Akihiko looked at him.

"Hey, I was talking about this guy!" he point to a Wheel of Fortune contestant.

"Anyways, Leah's out back, if you want to make her cook something…" Akihiko said.

"What's she doing there?" I said.

"Building us a swimming pool." Junpei said.

"A _swimming pool_?" I said.

"Yeah, believe it or not, Leah, Junpei and I were watching a Discovery Channel special about Swimming pools…"

"Don't ask." Junpei said.

"And Leah got all excited and said she'd make one herself at our backyard." Akihiko said, "She said she'd finish it in a week or so…"

"She thinks she can make a swimming pool in a week?" I said incredulously, "Were you guys high when you were watching that show?" I said.

"Nope." Akihiko said, "And personally, I think she CAN do it."

"I'm with you, Senpai!" Minako said, "Right, Minato?"

"Nada." I said, "Scientifically, Theoretically and clinically impossible."

"That makes the two of us!" Junpei said, putting his arm by my shoulders, "I bet you two five thousand yen that Leah won't be able to make it in a month."

"Deal!" Minako said, "My home-girl Leah would do it in five days flat!"

"Let's see!" Junpei said, as we went out back.

Leah was digging and she seemed pleased about it.

"Like diggin' a foxhole in the desert!" she said.

Minako cooked up some stew and we ate it in Leah's construction site.

(07/23/10)

Today, I paired up with Yukari as we looked at our scores.

Top Ten, 12th grade

1. Minato Arisato

2. Rio Iwasaki

3. Yukari Takeba

4. Minako Arisato

5. Fuuka Yamagishi

6. Quan Lao

7. Pinky Lee

8. Yuko Nishiwaki

9. Kenji Tomochika

10. Junpei Iori

"I don't believe it!" Yukari said.

"Yeah, I know! Junpei on Top Ten for the second time?" I said, "He must have been holding out on us with some sort of cheat-sheet or something…"

"Not that!" Yukari said, "Cato's not on the Top Ten." She said.

"And…?" I said suspiciously.

"Relax… He's always talking about how smart he is, but that jerk can't even be smart enough to be in the Top Ten!" She said and I was glad she wasn't ribbing on Minako for once.

"I know…" I said.

"I'll have you _serfs _know that grades do not measure one's intellect." Cato said.

"Cor blimey!" Minako said, jumping away, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Hmph! If you fools don't mind, I need to be somewhere else!" he said, "No one in this second rate school could possibly out-smart me!"

Minako went beside us.

"Hey Bestie!" she said, "Sup, Yuka-tan?" she said.

Yukari seemed slightly annoyed, but she was nicer than she was.

"The ceiling, Mina-Chan." She said.

She looked at the scores.

"Awesome!" she pumps an arm, "Top Five, bitches!"

"Hmph!" Ekoda said behind us.

"Sorry, Mr. Ekoda!" Minako said.

Ekoda walks away.

"Anyways, I don't see that fool Cato here…" she said.

"I know, right? He Just left… first time I saw garbage walk itself out… " Yukari said.

"Yeah! That jerk's always rabbiting about how smart he is!" Minako said.

"Ohmygosh! I just said that!" Yukari said, touching Minako's hand.

"Yeah, like, if you're so condescending, make sure to back it up!" Minako said.

"I totally hear you!" Yukari said, "Wanna get something to drink?"

"Wizard." Minako said.

"What?"

"I mean, sure." Minako said.

"You don't mind if I borrow your Bestie, do you?" Yukari said.

"And you wouldn't mind if I mooch off your Girlfriend, do ya?" Minako said.

"Please, knock yourselves out." I said.

They went to the cafeteria holding hands like old friends.

Kenji whistled beside me.

"Hard being the popular guy isn't it?" he said.

"COR BLIMEY!" I jumped, since I got that habit from Minako, who lived in London before, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry." Kenji said, "I was waiting for Rio… she's powdering her nose in the rest room."

"I see… and what's wrong with Minako and Yukari hanging out?" I said.

"Well, your ex-girlfriend and your girlfriend hanging out?" Kenji said, "Bad idea."

"As if you ever had any girlfriends!" I said, "And to set the record straight, Minako isn't my…" I said, remembering our little stint, "Yeah, I guess…"

"Too bad you don't have my prowess in relationships…" Kenji said.

"Sure I don't." I said shaking my head.

"If you're lucky, I might be able to share some notes with you…"

"If I live to be a thousand…" I said.

(07/24/10)

For the first time, Yukari and Minako and I walked home together.

We went in our backyard and it wasn't looking good for Junpei and I, since Leah was already laying out the pipes for the pool.

(07/25/10)

Closing day.

We had summer vacation, but Ms. Toriumi gathered all of the Badminton Club members, including our new members, Pinky and Quan.

"Guys, before we all go home, I'd like to remind you all of our upcoming Sports Meet, like last year, and all of you are required to come back, even Kenji." Ms. Toriumi said.

Kenji whispered beside me, "What was that suppose to mean?"

I shrugged.

We were all sorted in our respective categories; most of them are in singles, while there were only three in the doubles category, Me and Minako, Kenji and Rio and Quan and Pinky.

We went home.

(07/26-28/10)

Thursday- Saturday…

We did our normal practices, while most of us were already great friends, Pinky and Quan were obviously and hopelessly out of place, so, taking pity on them, Minako and I decided to talk to them.

They were eating energy bars.

"Wassap?" Minako said.

"Uh… nothing much. You?" Quan said, very much confused.

"Well, we just decided to talk with you guys." I said.

"How nice!" Pinky said, suddenly taking an interest in me, "You're a nice guy… I _like _nice guys…" she said in a sultry voice.

"Uhhh… thanks… but I have a girlfriend, so…" I said.

"All the better!" she squealed.

_Suddenly, Pinky seemed like Risette, though she had pinker hair…_

"Why'd you guys move?" Minako asked.

"Well! Cato's such a jerk!" Pinky said, "He's not at all nice!" Pinky said.

"Amen to that." Quan said, "And I'd like to apologize, in behalf of Pinky and I, for being jerks to you two…"

"Apology accepted." Minako said, "Now, let's see if you two can beat us at doubles!" Minako said.

"Sure!" Pinky said, grabbing my arm, "We can take 'em, Minato-kun!"

"Hey, he's MY partner!" Minako said.

"Awww!" Pinky said, "Exchanging partners makes things _spicier!" _she said.

"Seconded." Quan said.

"Fine!" Minako said.

We played a vigorous round, which ended in a draw.

(07/29/10)

_Sunday…_

We had half-day practice today and we (Me, Rio, Minako, Kenji, Pinky, Quan and Yukari) all decided to chill at my place.

To my surprise (and Junpei's), the pool was finished and operational.

Hell, I'd even go as far as to say it was the best pool I've ever seen, and trust me, I've seen many a pool.

I forked over 5000 yen to Minako.

"How is it possible that you made an amazing swimming pool in such a short amount of time and with little to no experience?" I said incredulously.

"Uh uh!" Leah wagged a finger, "That's all correct, 'cept the experience part… It was like digging a foxhole in the desert…" she said wistfully, "And to hide from sandstorms, you HAD to dig like a madman, in my case, a madwoman, so, yeah." She said.

"But how-" Yukari said.

"Need to know basis… don't ask, don't tell." Leah said.

We all left it at that as everyone went home to grab their swim-wear.

(07/30-31/10)

Monday and Tuesday…

We practiced some more and chilled out at Quan's uncle's ice cream shop.

They sold the most delicious gelatos I've ever tasted.

We felt pretty much refreshed.

(08/01/10)

Last day of training…

I trained with Minako and the gang (now including Pinky and Quan,) and I was surprised to see Yukari there.

"I have a surprise for you…" she said.

"What?" I said.

"Ta-da!" she showed me two tickets.

"What are these?" I asked.

"Why, only two first class tickets to DisneyLand in Hong Kong! We can tour the city and on the seventh, we can have our monthsary!" she said.

"I didn't know there was a DisneyLand in Hong Kong…"

"So did I, but its there." She said.

"Let me see that…"

I examined the ticket and to my utter horror, it was tomorrow…

"Oh boy…" I said.

"What's wrong?"

"Well… you see, the day of our flight conflicts with my Sports Meet…" I said.

"Well, you can postpone it…"

"That'd take a horrid amount of paper work and… how exactly do you postpone an inter-school Sports Meet?"

"Beats me. But you need to go!" she said.

"Yukari… I can't just do this…"

"Please. You kinda sorta promised me last year…" She said it with such a pleasing voice that I agreed.

"Fine."

I swear, she used charm-speak on me.

But I needed to tell Minako.

I went to her.

"What did Yuka-tan say?" she said.

"She bought me first class tickets for our Monthsary to go to Honk Kong…" I said.

"Wow!" Minako said.

"Yeah, wow, but the flight is tomorrow!"

"Damn! Can't you just cancel the flight?" she said.

"That'd take a horrible amount of paperwork! And how in the hell do you cancel an international flight?" I said.

"Beats me… but if it's important to you, then sure, no problem." She said as she tried to smile valiantly.

I smirked and went off.

At night, I packed my things and slept early, but hard to do that since I had a lot on my mind.

I fell asleep as soon as I took a few tablets of _Benedryl._

(_08/02/10_)

I went with Yukari at the Airport and I felt sullen about it.

Then, as I sat at my seat at the airport, I knew what I had to do.

"Sorry, Yukari, but I need to go." I said.

"Oh, sure, the bathroom is down the corridor." She said.

"No, not that…" I said, "My team needs me." I said.

"Really? I thought we talked about this…" she said.

"I know, but…" I said, "I made a promise and I can still fulfill it without anyone getting hurt." I said.

She looked at me.

"Minato, you've really gone out of character… you've changed."

I felt angry.

No one idiot can say that I've changed because I am who I am.

No one else.

"I haven't changed for anyone, Yukari, and would I seem any bit interesting if I become the zombie I was last year? I was resurrected and you want me to be a corpse? Sorry, but I haven't changed at all, Yukari." I said.

I looked her straight in the eye.

"I grew up."

She studied me for a few seconds.

"You've changed… for the better." She said as she hugged me, "And I'm so happy."

I hugged her back.

"Now, you need to go." She gave me a kiss, then slaps me.

"Ow!"

"Be sure to be there by August 4, okay?" she said.

"Promise."

"I love you." she said, handing me my gear.

"Sorry, honey, but I love you too." I kissed her and dramatically jumped off the plane.

_Literally, _as it was about to close.

I took my gear and ran to the Meet like a bat out of hell.


	16. Sports Meet

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I ask that you guys might give it a chance.

Thank you.

Now, on with the story…

_MAPOV_

It was about 6:00 A.M., meaning I had about three and half hours to get to the meet…

I jumped of the tarmac as the flight stewardesses yelled at me.

I avoided security and jumped in a cab, as my heart reached a fever pitch.

"Taxi!" I hailed a cab.

"To the Iwatodai Sports Complex, Driver-san." I said.

The Driver turned and I recognized his blonde hair and nasty expression.

"Oh, hey Cato!" I greeted, "I didn't know you work part-time as a driver!"

"Hi." He smiled and smacked a cudgel in my head and I remembered no more as I passed out.

_Meanwhile… as Minato rushed to the meet, or at least tried to, Minako's day hadn't been going exactly __too __well…_

_Minako _

_(08/02/10)_

_Ugh… today's going to be a bitch of a day…_

_I knew it since when I woke up and found out that I needed to be in for warm ups in thirty-five minutes… it was 5:55 AM…_

_The meet was to be held at 9:30 but we had warm ups at 6:30…_

_Since my auntie is such a sloth and a lazy fool, I had to go to Minato's and ask Leah to cook me a meal._

_I didn't want her to make a fuss, but I really needed it._

_Strangely enough, she was awake._

"Oh! Minako-chan!" Leah said, eating pancakes, "Come in! You've just missed Minato-kun! He left ten minutes ago." Leah said, "And he made us all breakfast. Come on in! The guys are inside. Aki and Junpei-kun are inside as well." she said.

"Thanks, Leah-nee." I said and went in.

Inside, Akihiko wore a black tank top while Junpei wore a periwinkle bathrobe while a woman I've never seen before who had bright red hair, petite stature and really pale skin wore only an oversized tee-shirt and was sipping on cold milk while eating blueberry cheesecake.

On the table was an amazing assortment of blueberry cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, pancakes and all other sorts of cake that'd make Ms. Toriumi freak.

I eyed the girl.

"Is this a new maid?" I said innocently, since Leah always wore an oversized tee, I only assumed...

She blinked confusedly as if I showed her a clip of me drunk dancing.

"No, I'm…" she said timidly.

"Chidori." Leah said, "Chidori-chan."

"Who's Chidori-chan?" I asked.

"Oh…" she said and looked around, "Junpei's girl."

"Nice to meet you! Sorry about calling you a maid..." I said.

"Of no consequence." Chidori said, "Pleasure to meet you, Minako-chan."

"Okay… now to much more pressing matters…" I said, taking a seat between Akihiko and Chidori "Junpei has a girlfriend?" I said incredulously, "Impossibru!"

Junpei looked somewhat offended, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Just that, it'd be a bit more believable if she was Akihiko-senpai's girl, but…" I stopped myself, "Nevermind."

"Hey, I'll let you know that I'm a love machine!" Junpei said, "But Chidori tamed my wild soul! After all, I AM a breeder."

"I'm sure you are." Akihiko said as he ate the blueberry cheesecake.

"Hey, I'm glad I chose Chidori, since I'd only have to share my white dragon seeds with her." He said as he grinned.

Akihiko made gagging noises as Junpei winked at him.

"Goddamn it Junpei, you're gonna make me puke all over the cake!" Akihiko said.

"Speaking of cake…" I said, "Isn't it a bit too early for the bakeshops to open?"

"Oh, these aren't store bought…" Leah said as she had another bite.

"Custom baked?" I asked.

Leah scrunched her face, "You could say that… if custom baked meant that Minato made it…"

I tried to keep a straight face, "Minato bakes?"

"Read this…" Akihiko passes me a card.

I read it.

_ i baked some cakes for you guys._

_obviously._

_please enjoy the cakes and leave some for minako_

_seeya all in two weeks._

_luv,_

_-minato_

"Enjoy, huh?" I said, "Don't mind if I do." I said as I wolfed down the cake.

I loved the cake.

"Wow…" I said, "A guy who knows how to bake really... turns me on."

"He cooks! Don't forget he cooks!" Junpei said.

"He really works hard…" Leah said.

"Yeah… even I gotta admit… the guy's a hard worker…" Junpei said.

"More than you do…" Chidori muttered.

"What was that, toots?"

"N-Nothing, dear." Chidori said skittishly.

"Thought so." Junpei said, "Anyway, ya know, Minato's never had a great pal as good as you, Mina-san!" Junpei said.

"Yeah… from what I heard," she gives a sidelong look to Akihiko as if they shared some sort of dark secret together, "Minato is truly a hard worker… as if… he'd give his life for something he holds dear…" he looks at Akihiko again and I was sure that they kept something top secret from everyone.

Leah nodded, "Minako-chan, personally, I think you're God's reward to Minato for everything he's done."

I bowed my head.

_Beep! Beep!_

It was 6:20 A.M..

"Holy Hell!" I shrieked, "Is that the time?!"

I grabbed the cake, "Gotta go!"

"We'll be there by 9 for moral support!" Leah said.

"Thanks, Nee!" I said and ran off.

I arrived at 6:40 and you can guess how Madame Toriumi chewed my ass out…

"Never in all my years!" Ms. Toriumi cried, "Minako, I thought you'd have more sense to show up early! Your tardy sickness is apparently contagious! Why, even Minato-kun is tardy!"

"He's not coming." I said as I wore my socks.

She blinked.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"It never came up! And you didn't ask!" I said as I laced my shoes.

"Irresponsible! Against the rules!" she cried.

"On the bright side, I brought you some cake." I said.

She grumbled, "Go do your warm ups, Minako…"

As I left, she grabbed the cake, "Give me that…"

My face was like, _Fine, chill out!_

I did my warm ups, but I still felt sad about Minato ditching me.

_Minato A. POV_

When I woke up, the first thing I thought was: _Ooooh… my head…_

And I opened my eyes and I saw I was in a storehouse.

"What the hell…?" I said as I noticed Cato counting a wad of money.

"So you finally decided to wake up?" he said.

"No, I'm probably sleep talking…" I muttered sarcastically, "Of course I'm awake!"

"This is really nothing personal…" he said absentmindedly, then, he looked up,"Actually, it's quite the opposite, really."

"I'm gonna kill you!" I shouted, "HELP! SOMEONE, HELP!"

"Haha! There's nothing you can do… these walls are sound proof."

"Why'd you do it Cato?!" I shouted, "Can't handle the fact that everyone's better than you?" I said.

He laughed as if it were a joke, "Everyone? Better than me?" he cackled, "Impossible. It's just that… I'm on a high stake bet with someone on the outcome of the Sports Meet and I wagered a pretty fine bid against you. But as security, one of my… _associates_, paid me to take you out."

"You're gonna kill me?" I growled.

"Heavens no!" he said and really meant it, "Why would I taint my soul for that? No, I would just hold you for a few hours and release you when it's all done." He said, "And if you'll excuse me, I need to use the facilities."

He went to the Port-a-potty outside.

I tried struggling, but Cato really put a lot of duct tape into tying me, so as I struggled, I cut my wrist.

"Damn it…" I muttered.

I thought if I could break the chair…

The chair was old and creaky, so I thought of it and I put it into action.

But my feet were tied up as well, so I had to put an extra effort into it.

With all my might, I jumped and the chair legs and right armrest broke.

It made quite a ruckus, and screamed in pain but Cato didn't seem to stir, so I tried an old trick...

I summoned my old Holy sword, Deus Xiphos.

It took a bit of pulling and some MP, since I accidentally summoned Yukari's bow and Akihiko's boxing gloves by accident, but I managed to make the sword materialize in my hand.

I used my free arm to cut my bonds and I freed myself.

Then, I dissipated the sword and looked for the exit.

I saw one about 6 meters away from where I was being held, but before I ran off, I went outside, kicked open the door and tackled the Port-o-potty to its side.

"OH SHIT!" Cato screamed, "Yuck! Corn!? I didn't eat corn last night!" Cato screamed as I kicked it down, causing the Port-O-Potty to roll down the hill, "AHHHHHH!"

"Served you right, asshole!" I screamed, "Don't forget to wipe!" then, I ran off, with my gear and most of Cato's money near the door.

I looked at the surroundings and I knew then I was half way across town.

Reaching for my battered sports watch, I looked at the time and it was 8:58 …

I only had, more or less, thirty minutes to go.

Realizing there was no time to waste, I ran to the side of the road and jogged.

A kilometer and a half later, I stopped by an intersection, where a Ford Everest pulled up as I gasped for breath.

I really thought it was one of Cato's 'Associates'.

"Minato-san?" a familiar voice said.

I looked up and saw a red headed teenager with a Puma headband, Nike wristband, PowerBalance wristband.

"Quan-kun?" I said, "Am I glad to see you…" I gasped.

"Need a ride? My mom's driving us to the meet."

"Us?" I said.

"Meeee!" Pinky said from the front seat, "Hellllo, my Minato-kun!"

"Please give me a ride..." I said.

"Hop in." he said.

I rode in the back of the car, where Quan sat.

"Hello Minato-chan!" Quan's mother said.

Quan's mother had the same fiery red hair, kindly smile and motherly face.

"Oh! Hello Mrs. Lao…" I said.

"So, you're the Minato-san my Quan-bozu keeps talking about!"

"Mom!" Quan complained, "Not in front of Pinky!"

"Oh, sorry." Mrs. Lao said.

"Hey, no fair!" Pinky said, "Move over, Quanny!"

She went to the back and cuddled with me.

"Um… Pink… I sorta have a girlfriend…."

"Awww!" Pinky made a face, "What Minako-chan doesn't know won't kill her!"

"Minako's not my girlfriend!" I said.

"Ah…" Quan's mom said, "Who is this Minako-chan I also keep hearing about?"

"No one special!" Quan said.

"Quan's crush!" Pinky said dejectedly.

"Oh, too bad for ol' Pinky eh?" Quan's mom said, "She always did have a soft spot for my Quan."

"Mom!" Quan complained.

"Auntie!" Pinky complained.

"I swear these two have been friends since they were young!" Quan's mom said.

Pinky noticed my gashed arm.

"Oh, my!" she said, "Minato-kun! You're hurt!" she said, as if she were about to cry.

"Here, let me help." Quan said, taking a first-aid kit.

As I was getting a patch up, Quan's mom asked what had happened.

I related my story to them.

"Damn the Cato…" Quan muttered.

"Language!" his mother chided.

"Sorry, mum." Quan said.

"Cato's such a stupid head." Pinky said as she used a black wristband to hide the wound.

"Language!" Quan's mother chided.

"Sorry, Auntie."

"I'm glad we left the group, eh, Pink?" Quan said.

"Right-o."

"We'd better call Toriumi-sensei." Quan said as he dialed the number and put it on loudspeaker.

"Where are you?!" Ms. Toriumi said.

"Nice to see you too, Ms. Toriumi." Quan muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said hello, anyways, Pinky and I are on the way to the Meet."

"Where are you guys? Minako's been staring into space for the last few hours!" Ms. Toriumi said.

"What's the situation?" Pinky asked.

"Minako's got only up to five minutes to come up with a partner to go against the pair team of Yamano Takeharu and Yuna Sagiri, if she doesn't, she's DQ'ed in thirty seconds."

"Not to worry, we'll be there quickly." Quan said.

"You'd better! It's 9:55! And Kenji and Rio are almost done!" Ms. Toriumi said, "Minako's on!"

"Tell her Minato's on his way!"

"I can't! She's already at the court!" she said frantically.

"We're on our way." Quan said.

Then, on cue, the car broke down.

"Oh man…" Quan said.

"Don't worry, Quan, we can fix this!" Pinky said.

"Minato-kun, you'd better go on ahead…" Quan said, "Go to her!"

"What about you guys?" I said.

"We'll be there." Quan said, "It's only a few blocks away! Hurry!"

I nodded and ran.

_Minako A. POV_

I changed into my attire and went in.

Ms. Toriumi stopped me.

"I can't let you in there without a partner."

I shook my head.

"Minato's my only partner."

An official came over, "Your five minutes is up. If you don't find any partner at all, the match will be forfeited in thirty seconds."

"At least take Takeshi!" she points to the scrawny kid in the bench.

"Thanks, but I'd rather lose… I think… Minato will come." I said.

Ms. Toriumi shook her head, "We're done, finished! It's over. Damn it! Just like that!"

"Ms. Toriumi!" I said, "He'll be here." I reassured her and went in.

_Players to the court, _the announcer said, _thirty seconds till disqualification._

As I walked alone, I thought to myself, _Minato… please… I really do hope you come…_

_Minato A. POV_

_Meanwhile…_

I weaved through traffic and people but I managed to get inside the Meet.

Everyone greeted me.

"Minato!"

"Minato?"

"Hey! Minato!"

"Yo bro!"

But I had no time to talk, until I saw Yuko.

"Yuko-chan! Where's Minako?" I said.

"Inside! But quick! She only has forty minutes left!"

I nodded and went in.

I was on the highest bleacher.

"Minako!" I yelled, "Hey! Minako! Minako!"

Everyone, including Minako, looked at me.

"Minato!" the smile on her face made up for all my trouble.

"I-I made it!" I shouted.

"I know!" she shouted.

"I didn't even get any free peanuts!" I shouted, "Well, I may have snatched some from a flight stewardess, but that's beside the point! It felt somewhat shameful!"

"Okay, fine, discuss that later! You have to be here now or else we're getting disqualified!"

_Twenty seconds till disqualification_

"Alright, fine!" I said and right then and there, I took off my clothes.

Literally.

As I took off my underwear, I saw from a yen piece behind me.

"Ohh! A yen coin!" I said and bent over to take it.

There was a collective gasp and hoots.

"Well, there you go, folks! A free show!" the announcer said.

I wore my stuff in a fast pace, like I did every time Mitsuru would turn the alarm on in the middle of the night.

"Wow! I feel good!" I said.

Then, another problem…

_How was I gonna get down?_

I decided to wing it.

I grabbed a metal tray and used it to skateboard like Legolas did in the second LoTR movie and surprisingly, it worked well.

I ended it with a snap and broke the judges table in half as I fell.

"Oh!" everyone shouted.

"That was AWSOME!" Kenji yelled.

"Dramatic entrance for entry number 2!" the announcer said.

"I'm all right… I'm okay…" I groaned as I took my racket.

I ran to Minako's side.

"I knew you'd come." She said, with her eyes sparkling.

"Told you so."

"Let's play."

Since I trained diligently with Minako, my body was light as a feather and I moved with grace and power, like a tornado.

Minako was not slow either.

She made explosive saves and finishes, like she was a volcano.

When I look at it, we were both like a volcano meeting a tornado.

We easily reached 21 points and won the tournament with ease.

Later, the results were out…

Kenji, Rio, Quan and Pinky received silver medals while Minako and I received gold medals.

"Oh my God, we won!" Ms. Toriumi squealed.

"Really?" Minako said, "That's great!"

"Party at my house!" I shouted.

I called Leah and told her to get a party going.

I gave the ok as everyone lifted me and Minako in the air and marched straight to my house for one wild night.


	17. House Party (Part 1)

(08/02/10)

_Later that same day… around after lunchtime at 12:30…_

When I told Leah that we'd be holding a party, she didn't seem pleased, since she had just finished cleaning the entire house, but when I gave her enough money to buy supplies (Trust me, it was a lot of money…) she got all excited and went out to buy all our party needs with Minako, using Junpei and Akihiko as carrier boys.

Meanwhile, I fussed over things and ran to the nearest bookstore and bought a copy of _Hosting Parties: Essential Steps for Clueless Morons,_ since I never really threw my own party.

I read it while making cakes.

I got so into the book, I texted Minako some stuff to buy.

And after that, I made a few other treats.

Then, Minako and Leah arrived hours later, laughing at my rather comical activities.

"What took you so long?" I said.

"We had to buy stuff." Leah said.

"What stuff takes four hours to buy?" I said.

"You'd be surprised. Bring 'em in!" Minako cried.

Akihiko and Junpei brought in some stuff.

They had bought an obscene amount of beer, which Akihiko and Junpei carried, making three trips, and five beer kegs, which were full, carried by Leah on a cart.

They also had several plastics full of party foods, such as chips, pretzels and steak and a plastic full of party supplies such as red Styrofoam cups, plastic spoons and forks and strangely enough, a bass and sound system.

"What is all this?!" I cried in shock.

"Party stuff." Minako said curtly.

"Party stuff!" I said, "It's 20% food, 5% supplies and 75% beer!"

"Not true… we also bought some soft drinks!" Minako said.

"Besides, that's all you need in the party." Leah said, "And the Wasted Samurai store sold us all this booze for half the price."

"Yeah! Just look at this Vodka! It has floral hoops!" Minako shook a bottle with glee.

"Guess who had to carry the stuff…" Junpei groaned.

"You be quiet!" Leah barked, "Or I'll tell on Chidori!"

That apparently had some weight to it, since Junpei cringed.

"Alright, calm down, Leah-nee…" Junpei muttered, "Damn rat…"

"Personally, I think that was a good workout." Akihiko said.

"Speak for yourself, Senpai…" Junpei moaned.

I shook my head.

"We don't need all this!" I said.

"Yes we do." Minako said.

"_Froot Loops?_" I said, holding a box which Minako scrawled, _minakos do not touch me or prepare to die painfully._

She made a guilty face which she tried to mask, "Well, I, er…"

"And a sound system? _Really?!_" I said.

"Hey now…"

"Ugh! What about the stuff I texted you to buy?" I said.

"Yeah, about that…" Leah said, biting her lip, "They suck!"

"Not true!" I countered, "Just look at all the _deviled eggs _and _lotus-seed cakes _I made!"

Minako and Leah looked at them.

"Touché. But as they say, quality doesn't matter so much as quantity… no offense."

"Whaaaaat?" I said, "They do not! The book says so!" I said, holding the book up.

"We don't need a book!" Leah said, "All you need is food, music and some booze."

"And guess what!" Minako said.

"Let me guess, you booked some kind of DJ to play the music?" I said sarcastically.

Minako's face looked surprised, "How did you know?"

I felt my blood surged into my face.

"You- WHAT?!" I said.

"Hey, chillax!" Leah put her hands up, "You're right about the DJ part, but it's someone who won't charge you a yen-piece…" Leah said.

"Who?"

"Me." Leah said, "I know music that'd turn a shy school girl onto a crazy lynx."

"What do you think of our guests?! Rabid barbarians?!" I said.

They both shrugged, "Kinda."

I shook my head and let them prepare the food.

About thirty minutes later, a knock rapped from the door.

"Who could that be?" I said.

"I dunno…" Akihiko snickered.

When I opened the door, I saw an old face..

"Fuuka?" I said.

She looked absolutely magnificent in a shiny pure black muscle sleeve dress with a skirt that looked as if it had been cut clean across down.

"Hello, Minato…" she said, "What, is it too much? Mitsuru-senpai recommended it..." she said shyly.

"You're looking… good." I said breathlessly.

Behind her, was Chidori Yoshino wearing a cute white dress with gold trimming.

"Are we too late for the party?" Chidori asked.

"Uh… No, actually, no one's here yet, the party doesn't start for another hour." I said.

"Well, someone said that you'd be partying from dusk till dawn…" she looks at Junpei, who was behind me.

Junpei shrugged, "Guilty."

She looks at the purplish-red sky, "It's dusk, so here we are…"

"Uh… well, that's just a figure of speech…" I said, scratching his head.

"Uh uh…" Chidori said, "We are the ideal party guest because we are always punctual."

I shrugged, "Okay party guests, come in and have a seat."

They went inside and sat down on the couch.

Excusing myself, I went to the kitchen.

"Oh! Who's the lady in the fancy dress?" Minako asked.

"Oh her? That's Fuuka… I also invited Mitsuru, but apparently, Mitsuru-senpai couldn't come… you know, being young Chief of the Kirijo group and all… anyway, she's Minato's number 2 forever girl!" Junpei teased and high-fives Akihiko.

"Number 2?" Minako said.

"Yeah… second to Yuka-tan, Mitsuru-senpai is Minato's second love." Junpei said.

"That was last year!" I snapped back.

"So, you don't love her anymore?" Junpei snapped back.

I was speechless.

"I… I love her as a friend." I said.

"Let's go!" Minako said as she grabbed Leah.

She ran to them.

"Hey Fuuks!" Minako said, "This is Leah-Nee, our housekeeper."

"Um… Hello, Leah-Nee..." Fuuka said coolly, "Do you need help with the cooking?" Fuuka asked.

"That depends… follow me!" Leah said.

Junpei went out.

As soon as he met Chidori's eyes, he knew he was in trouble.

"Ch-Chidori!" he said, suddenly self conscious at his attire, a day old t-shirt, ratty jeans and flip-flops, "Uh… looking good!"

Chidori looked pissed, "Junpei!" she strode to him and yanked his ear, "What did I say about dressing formally?!"

"S-Sorry! I didn't know you were coming!" he said, "Oh, wait... I did."

"That's no excuse! Take me to your room right now!" she hissed.

"O-okay…" he groaned and they left.

It was about 5:30 P.M. when we were ready to host the party.

A few minutes later, I felt uneasy.

"Hmmm… what's taking them so long?" Leah wondered, "its five minutes past 5:30… they should've been here by now…"

"Just relax…" Akihiko said.

I looked at my watch again.

"Six minutes, actually…" I said.

"Oh no! The party's a bust! No one's coming!" Leah cried.

_Ding-dong!_

"Guests!" she cried.

"Crocodile tears?!" Junpei said as he shook his head.

"Hey, hush!" Leah said.

I opened the door and the guests were Kenji and Rio.

"Kenji! Rio! Come in, come in!" I said.

"Don't mind if we do." Kenji said.

"Here…" Rio said, handing Leah a tray full of buttered chicken.

Leah took it and set it on the table.

"Kenji! Looking good, dude!" Junpei hollered from the couch.

Kenji looked sharp in his designer blue casual shirt with a red checkered tie and suspenders.

"Don't ask." Kenji said, "Mom bought me some new clothes with Rio…" he muttered as if he looked like a goober.

"Hey! You look handsome!" Rio said.

Wearing a peach ruffle dress shirt, Rio actually looked… well, _girly_.

"Come on and take a seat, you two…" Leah said.

"Don't mind if we do, Leah-san." Kenji said.

Kenji and Rio greeted Fuuka and the others and sat down.

Next to arrive was Quan and Pinky holding a metallic tray full of lasagna.

"Hey Minato!" Quan greeted.

"Is the party on?" she asked.

He wore a purple checkered party hat and a checkered polo shirt with acid-washed jeans, while Pinky wore a pink shirt with a vest and shorts.

"Nope! You're the third ones to arrive." I said, "Come right in!"

"Thanks!" Quan said, placing the tray at the table.

As they sat down, Minako arrived from the kitchen.

"Hey Quan! Hey Pink!" she greeted, "Nice hat! Really funky!"

Quan looked as if Minako made his day.

"Th-Thank you!" he said.

Pinky shook her head glumly.

"Oh yeah, if it gets too late, would you guys mind if Pinky and I slept over? I mean, I have to ask my mom first and all…" Quan said.

"Sounds like a great idea!" I said.

"Just make sure you packed extra undies!" Minako said.

"Oooh! My lady is hurting me!" Quan said.

"Oh yeah? Then you haven't felt anything yet!" Minako said, and with a flick of her hand, she hit Quan's balls.

"Oooooh!" he wheezed in pain, "Thank you, ma'am, may I have some more?" he said, trying not to cry out.

"Sure." Minako shrugs and does it again.

Quan fell, "Oooooh…. Critical hit…" he moaned.

Four raps on the door signaled the arrival of another guest.

"Sounds like guests…" Leah said.

"Or a robber…" Minako muttered.

"Minako!" I said.

"What?!" she said.

I opened the door.

It was Hidetoshi, Keisuke and Bebe along with some members of the Student council and the Red Cross Youth.

"Hello!" I greeted.

"Good evening, too." Hidetoshi said, "Uh… my mother made this for the party…" Hidetoshi said as he gestured the flans he had in his tray.

"Hey Minato-kun!" Keisuke said, "Thanks for the invite! Uh, my Dad's chef made this lamb brisket for you…"

"Konnichiwa, Minato-zama!" Bebe said, doing a rather dramatic bow, "I baked zis for ze party!" he shows the best looking French bread that looked and smelled really good.

"Thanks guys! Take them to the table and mingle!" I said.

Next to arrive was Yuko, Kaz and a few members of the club.

They brought some casks of juice.

Leah directed them to the back.

Later, more and more people arrived.

There were so many people, I didn't recognized a few of them.

Then, it looked like a great start, seeing as the people began to mingle…

Leah cranked up the music and everyone began dancing.

The party was only about to start… with extra craziness attached…

* * *

_**Author's notes: There…Finished.**_

_**The next chapter will be about the crazier antics they do…**_

_**And… to some people, if it's not too much trouble, please try to review!**_

_**And if you do, kindly add more words other than "Update the story plz" or "Great story!" or "Next chapter!" because it's not helping.**_

_**If possible, would you please make the reviews longer?**_

_**I rarely do this, but please take my humble requests into heart.**_

_**Many thanks. It gives me great pleasure to write for people who share my passion for Persona.**_

_**That's all.**_

_**-OPD**_


	18. House Party (Part 2)

**Author's notes: this is an especially long chapter, probably the longest BY FAR.**

**So, I'd really appreciate it if you find the time to review (Guest reviews or Member Review) it with your thoughts, seeing as I wrote a long chapter for you, my dear readers…**

**Please, take that into consideration.**

**Have a nice day!**

* * *

_(08/02/10)_

_Much later that very same day…_

The party began to start. And the gate-crashers added up as well.

They made really ridiculous claims…

"So… you're my second cousin four times removed from my mother's side?" I said to a 15 year old kid, "You look awfully young to be my great-great-great-great uncle…" I pointed out.

"Uh, yeah…" the kid said hesitantly, "Your uncle Sherm to me to come."

"That's funny! I didn't know I had an Uncle Sherm!" I said and the kid began to sweat.

"Ehehehe…" the kid laughed nervously, "You know, Uncle Sh-Sherm…"

"Gesundheit…" I said, "Incidentally, what's my mom's name?" I asked.

"Uh…" the kid said, "Gotta go!" he said and bolted.

"Thought so!" I shouted after him.

Then, there was another guy.

"Hey, I'm Kenji's sibling." A young girl said.

"Oh, really?" Rio said, "You're looking a bit too old to be 13…"

"Say what?" she said.

"Kenji says he has a little sister, 13 years old…" I said.

"Aw, come on pal!" she cried, "Don't be a lame-o!" she said.

"Go away!" Rio barked.

She scurried off.

I slumped in the chairs.

"The riff-raff outside is getting out of control…" I muttered.

"Yeah, but you can't blame 'em!" Kenji said, "The party's awesome!"

That was true…

Hidetoshi was hooking up with an older looking second year girl, who was assistant librarian at school named Saori Hasegawa.

They laughed a few cups of beer.

Keisuke and Fuuka were laughing at Bebe's dancing and prancing as they ate Fuuka's roast beef and Keisuke's lamb brisket.

Yuko and Kaz were having a conversation about sports, occasionally laughing at Kaz's outrageous jokes.

Quan and Pink were dancing to the beat of Leah's music. They had even begun swing-dancing.

Junpei went down with Chidori and honestly, we were quite shocked.

"I'd like you all top meet the new and improved Junpei Iori."

Junpei went down the stairs and everyone nearby applauded.

I myself wore a white and blue baseball t-shirt, ashy-gray pants and indigo high tops sneakers, but Junpei looked cool.

Gone were the ratty jeans, the dingy shirt, old slippers and ball cap. They were replaced by a maroon polo shirt, black slacks, grey _suede_ shoes and a panama hat that made him look like the Japanese version of either Jason Mraz or Al Pacino.

"Too much?" he said.

"Holy shit…" Minako muttered, "Junpei actually looks human!"

Junpei looked offended, "What's that suppose to mean?" he cried, "I resent that!"

"Well, it's true!" Minako said, "You often look like an ogre!"

"Ogre?!" Junpei fumed.

"Yeah, Ogre…" Minako said, "You should try wearing clothes like that more often so people will think you're human."

They started, as usual, to bicker.

I shook my head.

Then…

_Clang! Boom!_

I looked at Minako, who was eating lamb brisket while shouting at Junpei and she shrugged.

"What the hell is it this time?" I shouted.

I went with Kenji, Junpei and Akihiko to the basement, where the noise began.

There, a couple of skaters who I didn't recognize were using the stairs as a quarter-pipe to skate.

I saw the ruined remains of our shelf.

"What is all this?!" I cried.

"Yooo…" one seemingly high skater said, "Your shelf broke, bro!"

"You saw to that!" I said.

"Well, fix it…" one said, "We wanna break it again."

"Grrrr! I'll break your face, ass clown!" I growled at them and they cringed.

I grabbed one by the collar and dragged him to the door and threw him out while Kenji, Junpei and Akihiko did the same for the rest.

"And stay out!" I cried as I threw their skateboards at them.

I went downstairs and hastily made a picket sign.

I placed it outside.

It read:

_NO ADMITTANCE TO STRANGERS!_

_GATECRASHERS WILL BE SHOT._

_SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT TWICE IN THE HEAD BY _

_OUR OVERLY DRUNKEN EX-MILITARY MAID._

_-MANAGEMENT_

"That should do it…" I said.

I went inside and Quan and Pink were talking with Minako and the entire gang.

They all had a cup of beer and were chatting noisily.

"So… I heard you were about to miss the school meet…" Quan said, "To go to somewhere abroad…"

"I _was_ planning to…" I said truthfully, "But then I decided to go to the meet about the time we were going, so… I sorta jumped out." I said.

"You jumped out of a plane?!" Minako said incredulously, "Or is that another figure of speech?"

"That's what I did; I _literally_ jumped out of a plane…" I said, "Apparently, I wasn't suppose to do that… airport security thought I had planted a bomb and ran after me, but I managed to lose them… the rules are getting really complicated these days… first, they say you can't make a bomb threat, the next thing you know, you can't break a door down to escape airport security!"

"So you broke the rules…" Hidetoshi mused, with a glint in his eyes.

"Not that much… but yeah, I sorta did…" I said.

"_Sorta_ is putting it lightly, isn't it?" Hidetoshi said.

"Oh, come on!"

"What happened next?" Yuko asked.

"C'mon! Tell us!" Kazushi said.

"Alright…" I said, "Okay…"

I took a deep breath.

"I went to the nearest cab, and told the driver to take me to the meet… and he turned around, and the driver was none other than Cato himself… I said hello to him and he hit me in the head with a club…"

"Why did you say hello?" Kenji said, "You should've suspected something the minute you saw Cato behind the wheel!"

"Or ran out!" Kaz said.

"Or subdue him!" Chidori said.

"It didn't seem relevant at the time…" I said, "And Cato? A taxi driver? Seems highly unlikely, no?"

"True… but how could a mere high school student have the resources, let alone intelligence, to pull off a stunt like that? And how could he even get a hold of a taxi cab?" Minako asked.

Quan snorted.

"Underestimating Cato will be the death of anyone… he has extensive connections and rich friends… doing only _that_ is child's play for him… he's devious, cunning, rich and cruel…he's evil to the core. Trust us, Cato has _many_ friends." Quan said speaking from experience as Pinky nodded in agreement.

"You know something? We haven't heard your backstory with Cato yet…" Minako pointed out.

"Really? I thought we'd already-" Pinky said, clearly trying to avoid the question.

"No, you haven't." Minako said, "Come on! I want to hear your story!"

Quan looked as if Minako made his day.

"Y-You want to hear my story?" Quan said in wonder.

Minako rolled her scarlet red eyes, "That's what I just said, buddy!"

"Okay, okay…" Quan said.

Pinky nudged him, "You think that's a good idea?"

"You bet." Quan said.

Quan took a deep breath.

"I used to go to school at an international school in New England, America… the Riverdale International Academy, to be exact…I was already friends with Pink… we made friends with the British Cato Romano, the French Michonne La Monde, the Vietnamese Yo Duc Tho, the Japanese Hide Omura and the Egyptian Hortez Rama… I was the Chinese in the group…"

"How about you, Pink?" Junpei said, "You a China-man too?"

"Junpei!" Chidori chided, "That's racist!"

"Is not." Junpei said, "Well Pink? Are you Chinese?"

Pinky snorted impatiently, "I'm Korean."

"Anyway, we were the elite of the school… until…" Quan faltered, "Until… we were expelled."

Minako tensed, "Why were you expelled?"

"Let's say… Cato's a bad influence… Sorry… a tad bit personal…" Quan said, "Have you seen _A Walk to Remember_?"

"I like that movie." I said.

"Oh my gosh! That's like, my favorite movie!" Minako cried.

"Yeah, well, what happened is kinda like what the guy did…" Quan said.

Then, Leah went to me.

"Minato, there are gate crashers trying to open the door…" Leah said.

I got up.

"Where are you going?" Quan asked.

"To wring their filthy little necks!" I hissed.

"I'll come with you… you might need my muscle." Quan said, flexing his arm.

"You'll need mine too." Junpei said, getting up.

"WHAT muscles?" Minako said.

"Let's go!" I said.

Suddenly full of fury, I went with Quan and Junpei to where Leah said the gate crashers were.

I peeked at them from the small alley between Minako and my room.

Three guys were trying to piggy-back each other.

"Come on bro, get up on my shoulders! I hear the girls in this party are hot!" the one wearing an awful denim jacket and had a lot of pomade said.

"Yeah, especially the pale chick with the red eyes!" the other wearing an old leather jacket and had a pompadour said, "Me likey!"

"Oh yeah!" another with a cigarette behind his ear said.

I cleared my throat.

"Are we missing something?" I said.

They turned around.

"Who are you clowns?" the one with the awful pompadour said.

"Yeah…" the other one said.

"I could ask you the same thing." I said.

"Damn losers… get your noses out of it!" the one with the pompadour said.

"You don't belong here." Junpei said.

"Yeah? Says who?" Pomade said, "I happen to know Minato Arisato!"

"Hey idiot…" Quan said, "Meet Minato Arisato."

"THAT'S Minato?" Cigarette said.

"Looks like a wuss." Pomade said.

"Let's see, shall we?" I said.

Since a fight was inevitable, we were forced to fight.

But, Quan did most of the fighting, and let me say THAT was fighting.

He busted out some really serious kung-fu… Pompadour's pompadour became an afro.

I, on the other hand, let Quan and Junpei do all the fighting.

Junpei grabbed a branch and did what a barbarian does best: Hitting stuff.

Then, Cigarette hit Junpei and Pompadour and Pomade ganged up on Quan.

Then…

_TOOOOT_!

A klaxon stopped the fighting.

Standing there was Minako.

"Stop fighting!" she cried.

Pompadour and his friends let go of Quan.

"Ooooh…" Pompadour said, "Thanks for bringing me this tight ass honey…"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Cigarette said.

I shook my head.

"You guys ever thought about pissing off somebody you shouldn't have pissed off?" I said, spitting at them, "That person's me."

Pompadour laughed.

"You better get your dumb ass off here while I still let you." Pompadour said.

"Yeah, before we kick your wrinkly pale ass." Cigarette said.

"I'll count to three…"

I made a gun with my thumb and index finger.

I shot the three of them with it.

"This guy's crazy!" Pomade said.

"One…" I said.

They looked at each other.

"Two…"

They shook their heads.

"Three." I said.

They laughed.

"What now, eh?" Pompadour said, "What now?"

"You gonna shoot us again?" Cigarette said.

"Nope. LEAH!" I shouted.

Leah staggered from the side, holding bottle of Bacardi Dark.

"You bring us a drunk maid…" Pomade said, "Another honey!"

Pomade approached.

Leah took a long drink and pulled out her M1911 pistol.

"Whoa!" he shouted.

"Sorry boys! This party's invitation only!" she said with slurred speech, waving her gun around.

They all ducked.

"Guys, meet my maid." I said.

"H-Hey… calm down, pretty lady…" Pompadour said.

"Shut your fucking face!" Leah snarled in her drunken haze, "You fuckers never listen, don't ya?"

"Way to go, Leah-san!" Quan cried.

"Shut up pussy!" she snarled at me, "What, you think yer Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan or Stephen Chow or something? Ya can't beat three idiots if yer life depended on it!"

"What a woman!" Quan muttered to me.

"We still want to get in!" Pompadour said.

I got really mad.

I punched him and dragged him outside as Quan and Junpei followed suit.

"I don't understand what you idiots don't get!" I cried, "I locked the doors, I put up signs… I have a terrifying gun toting maid! What do I have to do to get some privacy around here?!" I cried as I threw them out.

They scurried away.

I went inside and saw everyone having fun.

But then, I saw some guys I didn't recognize at the door.

"Who are you people?" I said.

"We're members of the Soccer team, we played against Cato, remember?" he said.

"And you?" I said to the guy beside him.

"I'm his friend. I like chili." He said.

"Alright, that's it, get going!" I snarled to him, "All of you, get out! Come on! Let's go! Hapaya! Hapaya!" I waved them off, but in spite of my best efforts, they all rushed in.

I went in and slumped on the couch.

Minako came by.

She wore shutter shades and held a beer.

"Why the long face?" she said.

"Nothing… I swear, these gate crashers will be the death of me…" I muttered.

"Heeey, that's what parties are all about… mingling with people you don't know." Minako said.

"I don't need to mingle with anyone else!" I said, "Besides, this isn't a party anymore! It's become a rave!"

"Wow… Anti-social much?"

"No… You're all I need in a friend." I said.

Realizing the awkward silence, I immediately piped up and changed the subject.

"Uh…" I stammered, "What to do with these damned riff-raff?" I said.

"Hey, don't worry about them…" she said reassuringly, "Have a beer."

"I don't drink much, thanks…" I muttered.

"No, have a drink, you kill joy." She said.

"I'm good." I said.

"Have one." She said through her teeth.

"No thanks."

"NOW!" she yelled.

"Alright, alright!" I said finally, "Sheesh…"

I drank the entire cup.

"There." I said.

"Have another." She said.

"No thanks… my policy is 'One and Done'."

"Policies are guidelines, not rules…" Minako said, "Loosen up!"

"Okay, okay…" I said.

I drank it and I felt somewhat… happy.

Then, with a grin, Leah handed her some suspicious looking Brownies.

"Have one." She said.

Since I liked brownies, I did what she said.

It tasted… wet and numbing and it had a sharp smell to it.

"What the hell is this?" I asked, "It's great!"

"Space cakes." Leah said with a grin.

"Space wuh?" I said.

"Uh… Hash brownies."

"Really?" I said, having more, "I don't know what that is, but it tastes great!"

Then, I felt good and started laughing.

Everything began to have a much more vibrant hue and I felt euphoria.

I had some more.

Then, I took out another beer and drank it and partied with the people.

_Meanwhile_…

Minako tasted one.

"This isn't a space cake!" Minako said, "This is just any regular old brownie."

"I know." Leah tapped her nose, "Only the first one was a real Hash Brownie…"

She looked at me, doing my crazy antics.

"Leah-nee, you are a crazy genius."

"I'm just shell-shocked." She said with a wink.

_Then_…

I ran up Kaz and Kenji.

"Dude! We're having keg-stand contest, want in?"

"Fuck yeah!" I cried, "What's a Keg-stand?" I asked, but they already hung me upside down.

I competed against Kaz and Kenji as I drank an entire keg's worth and won.

After that, I was completely wasted, seeing as I danced on the tabletop with everyone.

I sang and danced on stage as Minako joined me.

"_So what we get druuuuuunk!"_ I sang.

"_So what we smoke weeeeeed!" _she sang.

"_We just havin' fuuuuuun!" _I sang.

"_We don't care who seeeeeees!" _she sang.

"_So what we go ouuuuuut!" _I sang

"_THAT'S HOW IT'S S'PPOSE BEEEEE!" _we sang.

"Living-" I said as I hold out the microphone to the crowd.

"_YOUNG, WILD AND FREEEEEEEE!" _

Minako rapped.

"_Uh! Uh uh! So what I keep a rolled up? Saggin' my pants, not caring what I shows, keep it real with my homies, keep it player for these hos, and look clean don't it? Washed it the other day, watch how you lean on it, give me some 501 jeans, rollin' joints bigger than King Kong's fingers and smoke em' hos down till they stingers! You a class clown and if I skipped for a day I'm your bitch smokin' grade A!"_

I looked at Minako and she laughed, since she just made up some of the lyrics she forgot.

We rapped the rest until Minako and I puked on some girls.

Then, Leah invited us to go out and we went in Akihiko's brand new _Outrider _truck with Akihiko, Leah, Quan, Pinky, Junpei, Fuuka, Kenji and Rio, leaving Hidetoshi, Kaz, Yuko and Chidori to hold the fort.

Since I was drunk as a skunk, I had no idea why I left my own party.

We loitered at an abandoned parking lot on the other side of town as Leah drank beer with Akihiko.

"I haven't tasted beer this cold since my time as a sentry in northern Afghanistan…" she muttered.

"True that… 'cept I never drink anything not low-fat." He said, "Nor was I a war mongering freak."

Leah snorted.

"Ha! Wuss!" Leah muttered as she clinked her and Akihiko's bottle.

Junpei took a drink at the truck roof.

"Junpei, I thought you always hated drinking?"Akihiko said.

"Who said that?" Junpei said.

"I thought you don't drink?" I said.

"WHO SAID THAT?!" he said.

"Well, you don't like drinking since your dad-"

"I'm not like my old man." Junpei said adamantly, "I can control myself when I drink, but he drinks anything that'd make him drunk." He said spitefully.

Then, three guys in a motorcycle passed us, hooting at the girls.

"Leah-nee…" I said.

"Yeah?" she said.

"You have your gun?" I said, just in case those guys come back.

"Yeah, why? You wanna shoot something?" she asked as she pulled out a gun from her girdle.

"No!" I said.

"I want to shoot something." Fuuka said quietly.

We all looked at Fuuka in surprise.

"Fuuka!" Minako said, "I didn't know you like guns."

"Want to shoot a shotgun?" Leah said, "Hunt a duck or something?"

"Yes, sure…" Fuuka said.

Leah grinned.

"Why hunt small birds? I'd hunt big game like a bear or a gorilla…" Minako said.

"Or a boar!" Leah said.

"Or a rhinoceros or a lion!" Minako yelled.

"Or a human fucking being! That'd get you all jacked up like shit!"

"Isn't that a bit too heavy?" I said.

"I like using a large shell. You can't eat 'em afterwards, but it's fun watching them blow up!"

Akihiko, Junpei and Kenji blanched.

"Yeah, but what do we shoot?" Pinky pointed out, "Nothing here for miles around."

That was true… other than light posts that shed orange lights upon the deserted road, there was nothing else around.

Quan suddenly seemed to have an idea.

"We're in route 416, aren't we?" he said.

"Yeah, I guess…" I said, looking at the sign _Route 416._

"That's not far from where Pink and I found you…" Quan said.

"So…?" I said.

"Cato's cab could still be where it is…" he said, eyes glinting maliciously.

"Where is it?!" Minako asked me.

I told them where to find it.

"-but it's too dangerous for a bunch of beauty queens to go look for a cab owned by a screeching lunatic-"

"Let's go find it!" Leah said.

"Yeah!" the girls went off before us drunken males could stop them.

We waited for what seemed hours.

"What's taking them so long?" I said worriedly, "They should've been here hours ago!"

"Meh! They probably stopped to powder their noses at some river or something…" Junpei said, "You know, girls stuff."

"I can never, nor will I ever understand girls…" Kenji muttered.

"Kenji, the moment man fully and truly understands girls, the world would be engulfed in flame." I said.

"Or aliens would wipe us out." Junpei said.

"Or pink elephants would fall from the sky, crushing everyone." Kenji said.

"That's a bit too much, but yeah." Junpei said, "Anyway, I'm also beginning to worry… what if some lunatics capture and eat them like in that movie _Wrong Turn_?"

"Or do _Lord-Knows-What_ with them?" Kenji muttered.

"Kenji!" Junpei, Akihiko and I cried.

"OOOOR!" A clear voice said, "They could have found the car."

Minutes later, they turned up with a cab with a plate number _CAT- 0._

"What took you guys so long?" I complained.

"You took so long!" Junpei said.

Minako shook her head, "We only took twenty minutes, you morons."

I checked my watch and she was right.

We placed several glasses there on the car

Leah handed the gun to Minako.

"Let me go first…" Rio said.

"Die glass Ekoda!" She aimed at a glass and shot it.

"Your turn." She hands it to Pinky.

She aims it.

She shot two in one.

"I'm the best there ever was!"

"Whoa! Double shooter!" Leah said.

"My turn." Minako said.

She takes a deep breath and does a roll.

"Cap your ass!" she shot one bottle, "And your ass!" she shot another one, "And your too!" she shoots another one, "I own you bitch!" she shoots another one, "Ice cold, baby!" she shot another, "I knew I was the chosen one!" she said as she shot another bottle far away.

"Crap, check out 'Special Agent Hamuko!" I said, "Wouldn't want to be caught in your cross hairs!"

"You'd fit in quite well in the corps, Minako." Leah said.

"C-can I shoot?" Fuuka asked timidly.

"I dunno…" Leah looks at us, "Can you?"

She nods and takes the gun, which was probably 1/6 her body weight.

"EEK!" She slips and the gun discharges as she fell backwards, narrowly hitting Akihiko's car and missing Junpei's head by a few inches, knocking his hat off.

"Watch it!" Akihiko yelled, "Be more careful, Fuuka!"

"Yeah! You almost blew my head off!" Junpei cried.

"Not that!" Akihiko said, "You almost hit my _Outrider_! The bill would've been sky high!"

"S-sorry!"

She takes a really deep breath and shot the car gangster style, screaming while she shot it.

She made several good shots.

"I always wanted to do that…" she panted.

"Remind me never to piss you off…" Junpei said.

Leah took out some vodkas and rum.

She threw it at Rio, who caught it.

"Drench the car." She said and we obliged.

As we drenched the car, Minako muttered: "Waste of good rum and vodka…"

"Why? We have loads at home." Rio said.

Then, Junpei, Kenji, Quan, Rio, Minako and I took some lead pipes, wood clubs and smashed the car up.

Then, after a thorough thrashing, we rolled the car down a hill and ran back where Akihiko had already started the car.

"Where's Leah-nee?" I asked.

"Here." She said handing us a bottle of vodka with an oily rag stiffed at the top.

"These aren't…" Kenji said.

"Molotov Cocktails." She smiled.

We lit it up.

"I regret nothing!" I screamed as I chucked my Molotov at the car.

The hood was set alight as the others threw theirs.

"Fuuka!" Leah yelled as she gave Fuuka a TMP, "Make me proud."

Fuuka nodded and went full-auto on the car, cursing and peppering it with bullets until…

_KA-BOOOOOOOM!_

The car had exploded in a fireball of metal and flames as we bolted out of there like a bat out of hell.

"Fuuka, you'd make one scary terrorist…" I said.

She smiled.

We stopped at the park on our way home and we parked the car and went out.

We took seven six-packs with us.

We sat at the end of the park.

"Y'know, this is really fun…" I said as I took a drink.

"See what I mean?" Minako said.

Leah suddenly laughed.

"What's so funny?" Akihiko asked.

"Nothing! Hahahaha!" Leah guffawed, "Back in the army, at the Lady Marine Corps barracks, we used to get really drunk and streaked across the town!"

"Where were you stationed?" Junpei asked.

"Russia."

"Whaaaat?!" Kenji said, "You streaked in the dead of winter?!"

"We were bored. And batshit crazy." She said, "Hell, I read _yaoi _manga 'cuz I was bored with lady magazines."

We all thought about it.

"And this one time, we went streaking and there was a breach…" she suddenly turned bright red, "You can imagine… us, holding our FAMAS assault rifles naked in the snow…"

"How old are you again?" Kenji asked.

"I'm 24." Leah said.

"Still young! Yet older than me…" Kenji mused.

Rio slapped him in the back.

"Yeow!"

"Hmph!" Rio said.

"H-hey! I'm just curious!" Kenji said.

"Hmph!" Leah said as she slapped Kenji in the back.

"YEOW!" Kenji cried.

"Asking a lady for her age is just plain rude!"

Everyone laughed.

Then, Akuhiko's eyes flared with disbelief.

"Hey!" he cried out, "Hey!"

He ran to the area where we parked as we all followed behind him.

His car was being towed away.

"Hey! Why are you doing?!" he cried at the driver.

"Sorry pal, you're parking illegally."

"Can't you give me a break?" Akihiko said, "I don't usually play the celebrity card, but I'm Akihiko Sanada, Boxing extraordinaire."

"Who?" the driver spat.

"Come on! That car's new! Gimme a break!"

"No man! No man! No man!" he said and drove off.

"Aw great! What do we do now?" I said.

"S'good thing I hid the guns in the secret compartment!" Leah said.

Then… we all had the same idea.

It could've been the beer or the rum or the possible hash brownies, but we all had an idea.

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" I said.

"Yup." Quan said, "Phone for a cab?"

"Yes… I mean no!" I said.

"We streak home, dummy!" Minako said.

"S-streak?!" Quan said.

With the remaining beers, we drank it and went in pairs.

The rules were boys strip first, then the girls strip but the boys have to run ahead.

"Whoa! That's short!" Kenji jeered at Junpei's… _withered_, (I won't sugar coat anything,) penis.

"Hey!" Junpei complained, "He's asleep!"

Akihiko was… normal sized.

Quan looked decently sized.

Kenji looked like he had 'morning wood'.

"What's wrong, Minato?" Junpei jeered at the sight of me wearing boxers, "Afraid to show your teeny tiny wiener?"

"Look who's talking!" I shot back.

"Come on! Take it off!" Pink yelled.

I took my boxers off.

Everyone became quiet as Fuuka gasped.

"Wh-whoa…" Kenji said in wonder.

"I've seen many porn flicks in my day," Junpei said, "And I have never seen such a big-"

"God! Junpei!" Kenji shouted, "Watching porn and looking at the guy? That's like going to a bar and looking at the DJ!"

"I do not!" Junpei choked.

"Let's talk about my little friend some other time, okay?" I said.

"Let's go." Minako said.

I strapped my clothes to my calf with my belt.

Akihiko, Quan, Pinky and Leah went together.

Kenji, Junpei, Fuuka and Rio went together.

Akihiko's group would take the first road, the second road was Quan's, leaving the third road…

"What about you two?" Pink asked as she stripped to her bra and panties.

"We'll go alone." Minako said before I could object.

As we went to the third road…

"No detours you two!" someone shouted.

"Who said that? Who said that?!" I said, but Minako pulled me.

When we were a few meters away, she started taking off her bra.

"What are you doing?!" I hissed.

"Relax… this is my only chance to streak and since I'm already drunk, I should just go full steam ahead." She said.

"O-Okay, but…" I stammered.

"Just go with it." she winked and snapped off her bra.

For the first time since the 'incident', I saw her boobs perfectly.

It was well rounded, C-cup and had the pinkest nipples.

Her bottom was well trimmed and supple.

"You shave?" I said.

"Uh, yeah." She said as if that was an obvious question.

"Why?" I said, "I only use a scissor to trim it, but I don't shave…"

"Why not?" Minako said, "Have you any idea how many microbes live in your downstairs if you don't shave?" she said, "Besides, more animals live in forests than in a plain."

I nodded, making a mental note to shave later on.

"Besides, it itches if I don't shave regularly, so…" she rolls her eyes, "Yeah."

"Let's drop it." I said.

Then, we ran all the way home, not caring the least of the biting cold.

We changed our clothes in a bush behind the block and went home.

Back at the party, the tide of people seemed to ebb to Yuko, Chidori and everyone else we know as we went in.

Junpei grinned as we he regaled Chidori about the tales of streaking in his drunken stupor.

"Were you with anyone?" Chidori asked quietly.

"Yep." Junpei said.

"Okay." She said and went to the kitchen.

Then, he saw us.

"Duuuude!" Junpei said, "That was AWESOOOME! Chidori took the streaking news really well and-"

_Clank!_

Junpei fell down.

Chidori raised the frying pan and wildly hit him ten times in the head.

I wasn't sure if he was still alive.

I touched his pulse.

Still there.

"Aye, he's mine… he shan't remember a thing…" Chidori muttered in a cockney accent while drinking a pint of pale ale and dragging Junpei upstairs.

I laughed and partied some more.

Quan was on the phone.

"-sleeping over, yeah… Yes, I already brought my toothbrush and… Mom!" he complained and said quietly, "I packed extra undies already…"

I laughed and went out back.

We went to the pool area.

Everyone was having such a good time.

We partied for a bit and had some more beer.

I accidentally slipped from the pool, went out and had a drink and remembered no more.

(08/?/10)

_My head felt like splitting…_

_I had an awful migraine and my eyes dimmed._

_It was already early morning and I was at my room._

_I noticed that I was naked and I shrugged it off, remembering my nightly antics._

_But what was uncanny, was the hand that hugged me._

_I was afraid, because it held me fast._

_I immediately thought it was Junpei… remembering his crazed look when he saw my penis…_

_Then, it occurred to me that he was bludgeoned near to death by Chidori._

_So I took off the sheet…_

_Then, I saw the sleeping face of my naked friend, Minako Arisato._

* * *

_**Answering Guest reviews:**  
_

__**Guest 1/6/13 . chapter 17 : **

_**Question:**  
_

_[Earlier, you told me that SEES no longer has their Persona powers. Did you decide to change that? (with Minato summoning a sword and all). The whole kidnapping incident kind of broke my suspension of disbelief. Unless you're Mitsuru, high school students simply don't have the resources to pull that kind of thing off. How would he know Minato was at the airport, or that he would decide to forgo his trip in favor of the sports meet? And how did he get his hands on a taxi?] _

**I'm sorry,** **but have we met yet?** **I don't remember telling you that SEES lost their powers.**

**Well, yeah, Minato has the power to summon the sword, since it's connected with his Persona, Messiah, being a Holy sword and all...  
**

**As for the kidnapping thing, Cato is the evil British version of Mitsuru and I think I made Quan talk about it...  
**

**Call it friend's intuition that Minako knew... she didn't know FOR SURE, but she had a feeling.  
**

**He bought the taxi.  
**

**Again, Cato is rich.  
**

**Urtur 1/6/13 . chapter 17**

[Hey, one thing: can you make the author's notes bold? I mean, I couldn't tell at first glance whether or not they were notes or not.]

**Done and done!**** xD  
**

**If any of you have any more questions, feel free to ask.  
**


	19. Hong Kong Hustle

_**Author's note: I made this chapter a bit too long... hehehe...**_

_**for Pokemon fans and/or fanatics, we have a pokemon battle thread where you can challenge us to duels.**_

_**I myself am Sniper in our Elite Four and I hope some of you are strong enough to battle our resident Champion *cough* Omegaxis1* cough!* and maybe be champion… for a while.**_

_**For those interested in meeting us, battle us or anything else, please go to the **__**PRAETORIAN LEGION **__**forum. You can find it in my profile or the profiles of our members, Daedalus IX, Omegaxis1, Angel Kaijeno, xXKeepyourenemiescloseXx and yours truly.**_

_**Unless… you're afraid to take us on… xD**_

* * *

_(08/03/10)_

Friday…

I stared in horror as Minako snored peacefully beside me.

That could've been really cute… her quietly snoring, smiling slightly, muttering about food and drooling slightly on my bed.

The only difference is that she was naked.

The first thing that hit my mind was, _Yukari's gonna castrate me… with a rusty knife and_ _she'll force me to eat it and then kill me then use recarm and do it slower…_

Although my head hurt so much, I willed myself to stand as I gently moved her hand away as I tried to stand up.

I noticed that Minako and I were dusty with glitter.

"Hooo boy…" I said as I used my room sink to wash my face as I looked at it.

My first thought was how much of a shitty boyfriend I was.

Then, due to my hangover or me being disgusted at myself, I puked on the sink.

Then, something stirred behind me.

"Yawwwn!" Minako yawned, "Good morning!" she said as she sat up from the bed.

Minako looked beautiful with her wild red hair and equally red eyes, combined with her pale skin, made her look like a feral Celtic princess.

I slapped myself in my mind.

_What was I thinking?! I have a girlfriend for Messiah's sake!_

I turned away, "Yeah, good morning too…"

She pursed her lips.

"What's wrong?" she said.

"N-Nothing…" I said, "Uh… you're not wearing a bra…" I said, still not daring to look.

"Oh." She said absentmindedly as she took my shirt and wore it.

"Minako…" I said.

"Yes?" she said as she washed her face.

"Two things…"

"Yeah?" she said.

"One…" I said, "You drool in your sleep."

"I do?" she said.

"And…"

"And what? Spit it out, man!" she cried.

"Did we…" I began.

"Did we…?" she said.

"You know… do the _do?"_

"What…?" Minako said.

"Did we have s-"

Before I could finish it, she said:

"I'm hungry, let's eat."

Whenever she said that, you couldn't do anything unless she had eaten.

I shrugged and went downstairs with her.

The house was generally O.K. and almost damage free, but it was still a mess.

Pinky and Yuko were snoring peacefully in the couches while Rio and Kenji were busy making espresso in the messy kitchen counter.

Leah was snoring in the bottle strewn minibar holding a bottle of Bacardi Dark, her dogtags gleaming in the morning sun with her black tank-top, army fatigues pants and combat boots made her look like a Barbie doll that was off-duty.

Quan was snoozing on the dirt-stained cushions set on the floor while hugging Kaz (We all do that sometimes!) it made them look like a _Yaoi _couple, with Quan being the _uke._

Akihiko was fast asleep in the swimming pool, wearing nothing but blue floral pattered broad shorts, floating in an air bed.

Hidetoshi and Saori were sleeping on the couch and Keisuke and Bebe were sleeping by poolside.

Fuuka and Chidori were quietly making breakfast with everyone as Junpei sat beside the table by the counter as he held an icepack at his head.

"Good morning." I said to them.

"Mornin'" said Minako.

"Oh! Hello!" Fuuka said.

"Good morning as well." Chidori said.

"Dudes sup!" he said, "I mean, Sup dudes!"

"Hey, what are you guys cooking?" I said.

"Just plain old bacon and eggs… some burgers, steaks and flans… leftovers." Fuuka said.

"Yes!" Minako said, "Big spread!"

"Well, they mostly drank more than they ate, so we have more stuff to eat." Chidori said.

"Pey!" Junpei said, "I mean, Yep… Damn, what's wrong with me today?!"

"What happened to you?" Minako asked absentmindedly as she got a plateful of eggs and ate it bare handed.

"I don't know… dammit, I can't even remember last night… Chidori told me that I got totally hammered and fell off the stairs… damn! That must've been one crazy night!" he looked at me as if to get my approval.

I looked at Chidori, then at the dented frying pan she was using as she gave me a stern look, as if to say, _Agree or die._

I nodded, "Yeah, that was hilarious… I'm sure THAT'S what really happened…" I said as Chidori gives me a wrathful look.

"Let's see how bad it is…" I said.

"Yeah, take a grander…" he said, "I mean garter… I mean _gander_…"

He took the icepack from his head and I was immediately surprised… and believe me, after all I've been through, I'm not one to be so easily surprised.

His face was badly messed up, and his nose looked broken but that wasn't all…

A giant bump on his head, the size of a potato, had swelled from his forehead all the way to his left eye, combined with a really big red welt, made him look as if a swarm of very angry bees stung him.

"Is it that bad?" Junpei asked, "Chidori told me that I staggered like a drunk and fell off the basement stairs and a shelf fell on my face…"

"Uh, yeah…" I said, noting Chidori's stern look, "I'm sure that's what caused it… not a frying pan or a bipolar goth…" Chidori looked pissed at my jokes and stepped on my foot.

"Yeow!"

"Hmph!" she quickly looked away and stormed back.

"Haha! A frying pan?" Junpei retored, "What could an itty bitty wittle frying pan do to me?"

"You'd be surprised."

"All I could remember from last night is telling Chidori something… and drinking… and setting that car on fire…"

"You WHAT?!" Chidori cried.

"What a killer imagination you have, Junpei!" Minako said.

"Hey, I did not imagine that!" he said.

"Yeah, right…" she said.

"I remember it! Fuuka and Minako were good shots and there was a Molotov cocktail and…"

"Alright, that enough Mr. Boy-Who-Cried-Flaming-Cars…" Chidori muttered.

"Damn! I'm sure I could remember it…" Junpei mused.

"I really recommend you get yourself a CAT scan or something…" I said, "You could have brain damage or something..."

Minako snorted, "I thought Junpei already HAD brain damage."

Minako, Fuuka, Chidori and I laughed, waking everyone up.

"What's up?" Pinky yawned.

"Nothing… Junpei set a car on fire…" Minako said.

"You WHAT?!" Hidetoshi said, "Irresponsible! Totally against the rules!"

"Hey, don't get your briefs in a knot…" Junpei said as he applied an icepack, "That was just a dream."

"And I got worked up for nothing!" Hidetoshi said ruefully.

"What's with the icepack?" Quan said as he wore a shirt.

"Oh." Junpei said, "I fell over some stairs."

"Oh cool!" Kaz said, wiping sleep from his eyes, "Let's see it."

He removed it and everyone gasped.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked.

Prodded by Chidori's dirty look, we didn't dare speak ill of it.

"You look great!" said Pinky.

"Awesome! You look like George Clooney!" said Yuko.

"Never better!" Quan cried.

"Wow!" said Keisuke.

"_Tres bien_!" said Bebe.

"You look handsome!" Rio shouted.

"Hey, she fixed your face!" Kenji howled.

"Fuck you!" Junpei shot back.

Everyone laughed at Kenji's remark.

"Let me see it…" Minako said.

As she looked, she dropped her plate (since she sat behind Junpei) in surprise.

"Damn! You have a whole 'nother head there!" she said carelessly.

"What?!" Junpei said.

"Anyways, other than that, Kenji, why don't you wake Leah up?" I said, "And tell her to bust out some soldier medic magic or something… she mentioned that she got a medal for re-attaching a colonel's testicle after it was torn off by shrapnel…"

"Okay." Kenji said and tried shaking Leah awake.

"Leah-nee, wake the hell up!"

Immediately, Leah got up and pulled a knife from her boot sheath as fast as a snake and held it against Kenji's throat.

Everyone was silent as Hidetoshi's eyes became really wide.

"Hey… Leah-nee… calm down…" Minako said as Leah's eyes became wild, "The war's over now… calm down…"

"Hey… come on, Leah-nee…" Kenji pleaded, "It's me… Kenji…"

She let go of him and sheathed her knife, "I was having such a nice dream…" she said.

She then yawned.

"That Orlando Bloom came here wearing his Legolas attire and asked me to marry him!" she continued while swooning, "Of course, I married him and we became an unstoppable knife-cum-bow wielding couple!"

"Leah-nee, you do realize Orlando Bloom has a girlfriend now, right?" Minako said.

"Aw, she's still mortal right?" Leah said with a glint in her eyes.

"Leah-nee!"

"Great. Now, what do you say about Junpei?" I said, showing her Junpei.

"Yikes!" she said.

"Oh, thanks, I feel _so_ much better…" Junpei muttered.

"Let's turn on the T.V. while I sort Junpei out…" Leah said.

Quan clicks the remote.

"_In other news, a burning car was reported to be burning on Route 416 last night at around 11 PM…" _They show pictures of a burned out car, with bottle fragments and a lot of shell casings, "_Although no one was hurt, the Police are still investigating about the fate of the owner of the vehicle… more on this story as it develops."_

"I know the fate of the driver…" I chortled.

"You do?" Hidetoshi said.

"Well…" I told him about it, I whispered the streaking part to him.

"Irresponsible!" he cried, "Against the rules!"

Then, Hidetoshi turned pale.

"Against the LAW! You might need to turn yourselves in!"

"Hey now..." Kenji said.

"You broke several laws! Illegal discharge of a gun, speeding, driving under influence, grand theft auto, arson, burglary, destruction of public property, vandalism, public indecency, illegal possession of firearms…"

"Hey, I have licenses for all my guns, you know…" Leah said matter of factly.

"Touché, but the fact remains… if I don't, I'll be accessory to crime… I'll have to turn myself in! Oh, they'll rape me in jail!"

"Let them… you'd actually turn us in?" I said.

"Regretfully, yes."

"The owner of the car is Cato."

"Oh, then it's okay then." Hidetoshi said, "Good work."

Everyone laughed.

Then, without warning, Leah looked at Akihiko and smiled.

She ran and did a monster cannonball right into his stomach as she created a big splash.

As they re-surfaced, Akihiko looked like an angry cat thrown into the water.

"Asshole…" he muttered.

"Tehehehe!" Leah snickered.

Then, I remembered something.

"Crap, I need to go to the airport…" I said.

"Why?" Minako asked me.

"I need to meet Yukari in Hong Kong…"

"I see… need a ride?" Minako asked.

"Too bad my _Outrider _is in an impound…" Akihiko said as he stepped out of the pool, "Thanks to our lovely Leah Otsuji."

" T'was nothing really…" she said.

"I mean the _Mutsuhito."_

"_Okay…_" I said, going up to get dressed.

Everyone said goodbye, since they couldn't possibly fit the _Mutsuhito_.

As we arrived the airport, I bought a ticket and she waved me goodbye.

"Safe trip." She said.

"Thanks… keep in touch, okay?" I said.

"Sure…"

I went in, only realizing I had forgotten to ask Minako.

Too late to go back as well, since she went in a restaurant across the street, despite my warning to her from buying food in the airport, which was ridiculously overpriced to fool unsuspecting foreigners and equally unsuspecting or, in Minako's case, desperate locals.

As I went in, I decided to Skype Yukari with my Laptop, telling her I was on my way.

I didn't know the wifi password, so I asked a Chinese-looking guy sitting next to me.

"Excuse me, do you know the wifi password?" I asked.

"Huh?" he said.

"Oh, sorry… forgot… uh, _Shin chai go guan guang chen pu la ni hao?"_

He seemed offended.

"Dude… I'm from Iwatodai. You speak too fast."

I took the wifi password from a coffee shop and told Yukari, then boarded my plane.

I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was already there.

I got down and saw Yukari amongst the crowd with my name in kanji.

It was hard, seeing as there were Chinese and Koreans among the group.

As I approached her…

She hugged me very tightly.

"Haha! Glad to see you too!" I said.

"Did you win?" she said, smiling like an angel, "You better have won! Otherwise, you'd ditched me for nothing!"

"I didn't ditch you…" I said, "And, uh, yeah, I did win actually…" I said, leaving out the crazy party part.

"So, where do we go?" she said as she held my hand, to which I felt really guilty since I might have cheated on her –big time-.

"I-uh- wherever you want." I said.

"Great!" she said, "To the hotel!"

"H-hotel?!" I stammered, "Hehe… moving a bit too fast, I see…"

"Oh!" she slapped my arm, "You dirty minded perv! To drop off you bags, dummy! I wouldn't do that unless it's the right time…" she hugs me, "Then, we'd experience the most beautiful thing… _together_."

Strike two. She's making me guilty almost on purpose.

"Aw…" I said.

We went to the Hilton hotel, where it was snazzy, rich and totally chic.

The service was immaculate and the attention to detail was just marvelous.

After I had dropped my stuff off, I went with her on a romantic stroll.

We came back and I had a fun time watching Spongebob in Chinese, thinking '_What's he saying?!'_

Although we had separate beds, Yukari asked to sleep with me, and I couldn't say no, seeing as I already slept with Minako (both the euphemism and literally.) adding guilt points to three points.

We spent the night cuddling.

(08/04/10)

Saturday…

After buying some snacks, drinks and a lot of Gatorade, we rode a train and walked about three miles across the Great Wall of China.

We looked around and saw a desert.

"What's that desert called?" she asked.

"I dunno." I said, "That could be that desert with a cool nickname…" I thought hard about it.

"Awesome! Let's go explore it! What was it called?" she asked excitedly.

"The Chinese name? Taklamakan Desert... Also known as the Silk road."

"In English?" she asked.

"The real translation? Not quite sure, but it roughly translates as _'You go in and you will never come out'."_

"Never mind then…" she said quickly.

(08/05/10)

Sunday…

We went to a Chinese-Filipino specialty restaurant, aptly named "_Yellow and Brown Rice"_.

A waiter came by.

He said something in Chinese.

"I don't understand…" I said.

"You don't know Chinese?"

"Nope." I said.

"What will you have?" he asked in broken English.

"I'll have what every rich people here eat." I said, "A Sprite for me and a Royal for the little lady."

"Very good, sir."

"I want this…" Yukari said, "A 'Soup number 5'… what is it?" she asked.

"Our Filipino chef, Tito, makes it… his homeland's specialty."

"Alright, we'll also have several local dishes and this _Isaw and Dinuguan _thing… and this _Balot…" _I said, always curious how the infamous _Balut _tasted.

"And this Birds Nest soup." Yukari added.

We chatted about school stuff and what to name our kids and the man came back holding two covered bowls.

"That'll be fifty HK dollars."

I paid the man and he left.

I uncovered it.

It was a brown colored soup with a gelatinous thing .

"Well, here goes nothing…" I said and tasted the soup.

"It tastes like ordinary onion soup!" I cried.

"Try that jelly thing…" I said.

I tried it.

It was flavorless, but the texture felt wrong… chewy, chunky and sticky.

"Waiter!" I called.

"Yes sir?"

"What the heck is this?"

"Shark Fin soup, sir… fresh from the coasts of Macau!" he said proudly.

"It tastes awful!" I shouted loudly, "My advice? Stop, because this soup? Damn."

Then, I tried the birds nest soup he brought.

It tasted better than the Shark Fin soup, but it was a bit too salty.

"I like this… I kinda thought Birds nest's soup would be made with twigs or something… never knew that it'd be salty fine noodles!" I said, referencing its likeness to _mihon noodles._

"Oh, that isn't noodles…" the man said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The birds nest." He said as if it were painfully obvious.

"Doesn't look like a bird's nest…"

"That nest is a Swallow nest… I won't say which one, but it makes its nest with spit and anything sticky."

I tried bravely to keep myself from puking all over the place.

Yukari tried the soup number 5.

"This tastes good… what is it?" she asked.

Then, a short, tanned and kindly looking man came by.

"You like it, ma'am?" he said in a surprisingly good English accent.

"Yes! It tastes wonderful!" she said.

"Great!" the man, probably Tito, cried.

"And this piece of meat tastes extraordinary!" she said.

The man blushed, "Thank you ma'am… I had to slaughter my prized steer for it…"

"Which part is this? Hind leg? Stomach?" she asked.

"That's my bull's genitals!" Tito cried.

"And this piece of meat tastes extraordinary!" she said.

The man blushed, "Thank you ma'am… I had to slaughter my prized steer for it…"

"Which part is this? Leg?" she asked.

"That's my bull's genitals!" Tito cried.

Yukari smiled awkwardly and when Tito turned around, she gave her food to a street kid and I did the same.

Then, we tried the _Dinuguan, _which resembled a chocolaty brown soup.

I tasted it and I really had a great taste.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Dinuguan." Tito asked.

"What's dinuguan?" Yukari asked.

"Well, _Dugo_ in Filipino means blood, so…" I said.

She made a face.

"Who cares? It tastes good." Yukari said.

Tito looked beside himself with joy.

"See that, Mr. Lao?" Tito said.

"Mr. Lao?" I asked, "Say, do you know a Quan Lao?"

"Yes! That's my nephew!" he said and gave us give seconds on our food for free.

We tasted the _Isaw (_Pronounced EEH-SAU_)._ It was just delicious, even if it was made with chicken intestines.

Then, we tried the infamous _Balut._

If you hear about 17-day-old duck fetus, you'd immediately think it stinks, but in actuality, it smells like a regular old boiled egg.

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't smell rotten at all.

When I broke open the shell, a hot fluid spurted out, but Tito urged me on to try it.

"Here goes nothing…" I tried it and it tastes really good!

I mauled it with salt and I ate it heartily, to Tito's great joy.

Yukari tried one and she liked it as well.

"Thanks…" we said and went out.

Tito and Mr. Lao said goodbye.

We went back to the hotel, where I laughed at Phineas and Ferb in Chinese with awful subtitles.

(08/06/10)

Monday…

We went to the shopping district.

Yukari and I were looking at some stuff.

"This looks nice…" I said.

Then, a really angry looking elderly clerk went to us.

"You want to buy something?" she said in rough English.

"Uh… nothing, really… just looking around!" I said.

"Go away! Go away! You drive away my customers! Go away! You bring bad luck!" she then goes on in Chinese.

"Alright already! Geez!" I walk off.

Then, I take a picture with Yukari solo.

As I take several snapshots, someone starts a conversation and does not care to move.

I cleared my throat and stamp my feet, but they still didn't move.

"Goddamned it, move already!" I shouted in Japanese and they looked at me and resumed talking.

I glared them and walked up to them.

"_Will you please move?"_ I said in Chinese.

They promptly moved.

After I took a few photos…

"I thought you don't know Chinese?" she asked.

"Mandarin? Yeah, but Cantonese? I know some words." I said, "Stephen Chow and Bruce Lee are my idols!"

"How did you know they were Cantonese?"

"The old lady at the shop… only Cantonese people do that…"

We went shopping and I bought my friends a few souvenirs.

(08/07/10)

Tuesday…

Our anniversary.

Yukari woke me up early and greeted me a happy anniversary.

"Happy anniversary!" she said, showering me with kisses.

It seemed as if she brushed her teeth and applied makeup, since she lacked morning breath and her hair was immaculately clean.

I immediately felt self conscious, but strangely, I was ok and my breath smelled minty fresh.

"Why do you always look so great?" I said.

She shrugged and kissed me.

We went to the morning buffet and had a hearty breakfast.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I had cereal.

"Ocean park!" she holds up a brochure.

"Awesome!" I said, "Let's go!" I said, finishing my meal.

We took a cab and we immediately reached there.

I paid the entrance and we were given a map.

"Here you go…" the attendant hands me a lucky charm.

"We get two!" Yukari said.

"Obviously. But can I have another one?" I asked.

"Sure." She said.

"Who's that for?" Yukari asked.

"Oh…" I turned red, "For Minako…"

"Ah…"

"Uh…Damn! This place is huge!" I cried.

She smiled.

We took countless pictures.

And we had such fun.

We went to the aquarium, watched the dancing jellyfish show, saw several exotic and rare fish and did so much fun stuff, such as feeding Koi fish milk and winning a stuffed toy for Yukari.

I felt a bit forlorn, since Minako wasn't there, but I tried to act natural.

We went to a restaurant, where they served seafood.

I ended up regretting eating.

We rode the roller coaster and I tried not to scream, because I do, my vomit might go out and at our speed, I might end up swallowing it again.

I was a bit woozy and pale, so I took a seat and took a breather as Yukari screamed for another go.

We went to the seal show, where they taught the seals many great things, like jumping over a ring of fire and hugging the audience.

"Shall we ride the cable car?" she asked.

"Sure."

Then, we went to the cable car, where I felt guilty still.

I stared at the sunset.

Yukari and I were alone in the gondola.

A faint beeping noise was heard.

"What's that beeping noise?" she said.

I remained silent, looking at the sunset.

It was silent for a while.

"Food for thought?" Yukari asked from across the car.

"Huh?" I said absentmindedly, "Oh… heh, nothing… I'm just a bit guilty that we were having so much fun without the others…" I said.

She remained silent.

"Am I… am I not good enough?" she said.

I tried denying it, but my tongue seemed glued to the roof of my mouth.

"So… what do you say?" she said.

I looked on the floor.

The beeping noise was heard faintly.

"Do you… feel lonely without Minako-chan?" she asked.

"Wh-what makes you say that?" I said skittishly.

She bowed her head, "Minato-kun… Do you really-"

The beeping noise persisted and I realized it was my phone.

"Oh… it's just my phone…" I said, not noticing her frown.

"Ah!" I said with gladness, "It's just Minako…" I said, moving to click it.

Yukari's face went livid with panic.

"NO!" she cried.

She then tackled me and I dropped my phone as she wrapped me in a tight embrace.

"Please…" she was on her knees in tears as she hugged me, "Don't pick it up… please…" she said as the heat on her tears made my skin tingle.

As she hugged me for some time, my phone beeped furiously on the ground and I felt conflicting feelings.

All I did was put Yukari in my embrace, patting her on the head as she cried.

"Minato-kun…" she said quietly.

She looked at me.

Her face was ashen with grief.

"Don't cry… I'd prefer if you smile."

Then, she beamed a great happy smile.

I smiled too, "Now, that's a smile."

"Do you mind if we stay this way for a bit longer?" she asked.

I nodded.

We stayed in that state for a few minutes, where Yukari's heartbeat went really fast.

"Minato-kun…" she said and looked at me.

Suddenly, without warning, she kissed me.

Then, as fast as it was, it was over.

She put her head in my shoulder.

_The cable car gondola will be down in a few minutes,_ the PA announced.

"Why don't we go straight home?" I asked.

"Sure." She said.

We walked home holding hands.

My phone continued to beep.

I shook my head, _Sorry Minako…_

Even as we returned to the Hotel, my phone still rang.

Yukari was in the bathroom at the time, and I saw my moment, and I picked up my phone.

Then… I thought of Yukari and I ignored her call.

I slumped on the bed.

_Why the hell didn't you pick up?!_ I can imagine Minako's angry voice asking me that.

_What am I going to say?!_ I thought crazily.

I thought about telling her about the kiss… but that was out of the question.

_I can't possibly say… No! No way!_

"Aw man… what am I gonna say?!" I said.

"What?" Yukari asked.

"Uh… I'm watching… Dora." I said, "She's asking me what was my favorite part of the trip…" I said, complimenting myself mentally for my quick wit.

"Oh." She resumed taking a bath, then came back, "What WAS your favorite part of the trip?" she asked.

"Uh… when the trip ended, I guess…"

"Minato, you joker!" She laughed and went back.

_Yukari… she's the first girl I ever loved… even if she did try to shoot me… she was always so pretty… when she smiles, it was like lilies in bloom…_

_She wasn't that nice either, but she did become much more caring…_

_I never knew… that lips could be that warm…_

I was thinking of it, when my phone beeped yet again.

"Yipe!" I cried and fell.

"Minato! What was that?" Yukari asked.

"Nothing! I saw a giant rat… I fell on its blood!" I lied.

I looked my phone as if it were a bomb about to blow up.

The screen read: _**Best friend- Minako**_

_D-Do I answer it…?_

As it rang, I ended it with reluctance.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Minako was using her viber to call Minato.

She'd called more than ten times, but he hadn't answered.

"Why the hell isn't that jerk answering?!" Minako muttered furiously.

"Shigure! Lights out now!" Minako's aunty shouted.

"Y-Yes Auntie!" Minako said as she went to bed angrily.

Back at Hong Kong…

_Minako… I'm sorry._

* * *

_**Finished! Please leave a review! **_

_**I'd prefer a nice constructive criticism or a good compliment, same thing! I may not look it, but I can handle any criticism, so long as it's justified.**_

_**Also, for some readers who aren't available via PM, I ask you to please review.**_

_**Thanks and I hoped you enjoyed the story! It gives me a good feeling writing for my readers!**_

_**God bless!**_


	20. Summer Festivities

**Author's notes: Yesss! Almost 200 reviews!**

**I ask that you, my beloved readers, try as much as possible to review! I appreciate all your reviews and I will always answer your questions! So review or ask any question, because OPD don't bite.**

(08/13/10)

_Monday_…

After spending nearly a week or so at Hong Kong, Yukari and I went home.

Minako had called several times, but I didn't pick up for obvious reasons.

After a somewhat dreary flight that involved loud, noisy babies, bad airplane food and nosey old ladies, we touched down and returned to our beloved homeland.

I called a cab for Yukari and I went home with her, seeing as she was the only one, aside from her friend, Yuiri, who was home.

Then, I went to my own house.

As I opened the door, I found Leah watching TV.

"Oh! Welcome back!" She said, "Are you hungry? Want me to make you something?" she asked.

"Oh, it's alright! I ate plenty at the plane!"

"That's a load of bull… Airplane food sucks…" she mutters as she drones back and forth making me something to eat.

Leah had this big-sister attitude that she fusses over you even if you don't want her too.

Shrugging, I placed my luggage in my room, then going down, where she prepared me my favorite foods.

Medium rare sausages, poached egg and a glass of O.J.

"Chee, thanks." I said as I ate.

"No prob. Nothing much to do around here…" she mutters.

"Where are they?" I said while chewing my food.

"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full…" she chided, "Apparently, that rich chick, Mitsuru, ordered the school to make them attend summer class… you can imagine Junpei's reaction… I have never seen Junpei THAT agitated…" she mutters.

"So… they're in summer classes?" I said.

"That's what I just said."

"Okay then… I'm going to school." I said.

"What?!" Leah said, "Oh no you don't!"

"Why not?" I said.

"Because you just came home!" Leah said.

"From vacation!" I said, "You act as if I came home from the hospital from a car accident!"

She studied me.

"Alright… I know you just want to see Minako…"

My face felt flushed.

"No!" I said, but I was blushing.

"Just go already!" Leah said, "You don't need to wear uniforms, apparently…"

I threw on some clothes and walked to school.

I saw the gate and it was closed, so I walked around to the side, where I saw Kenji, Rio, Minako, Quan, Pinky, Junpei and another kid hanging out.

The kid… he seemed really familiar… in a sense that he looked alike to Leah…

He had the same windblown hair, with his bangs covering his left brow and a careless look.

Minako was chumming with him and I felt some sort of resentment at her.

Then, Junpei saw me and pointed at me excitedly.

Kenji, Rio and the rest ran to me, except Minako, who was walking sadly and the stranger, who just remained where he was.

"Dude! What are you doing here?!" Junpei said.

"I'm joining summer classes with you…" I said.

"What?" Junpei said, "You'd willingly join here?! Want to switch places?" he asked.

"No allowed. What do I do now?" I said.

"Here's a spoon." Kenji gave me a spoon.

"What do I do with this?"

"Dig a hole and-" he said, before Rio slapped him in the arm.

"Kenji!" She chided, "Just climb up, Minato-kun!"

"Really?!" I said.

"Hurry, before Ekoda sees us!" Quan urged.

I climbed up like a cat and jumped down as agile as a cat.

"Nice." Kenji noted.

"Minako!" I said.

"Ha-" Minako started.

She came closer to me.

Since I thought she wanted a hug, I opened my arms and she punched me on the nose, drawing blood with a crack and placed her forearm against my throat roughly, as Rio and Junpei try to restrain her.

"You fucking Judas!" Minako thundered at me.

"What'd I do?" I said sheepishly.

"God, you dumb ass! Do you realize how worried I was?!" she cried, "I mean, how worried **WE **were?!"

"We weren't as worried as you were…" Junpei muttered.

"We weren't worried at all!" Kenji laughed.

"Shut up!" she snarled at them, "Well? What's your excuse?"

"I know… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have come out here so suddenly…" I said as she choked me.

"Damn right!" she said, "Why'd you come here?"

"I-"

"Never mind… as long as you made it home, it's alright…" Minako said, letting go of me.

"Anyway, I'm so sorry that I didn't answer all your calls…" I said, "I… uh, lost my cellphone today…" I lied.

She gave me a confused look.

"Today?" she said, "I've been calling since last week." She pointed out.

"W-well… I… uh…" I stammered, "You see… I was with Yukari-chan…" I said.

"Yeah, I know." She shrugged.

"H-how?!"

"Well, you went on a vacation with her, so, obviously, you were together…" she then stopped dead cold, "What happened between you two…?"

"Uh… well…"

"….." Minako remained silent.

"You know… Yukari's really sophisticated… prim and proper… pretty and nice… look those words up in a dictionary, and you'll find her picture…" I said.

Minako looked so sad, "I'm not like her… I'm not prim… not proper either…"

"But…" She then looked steeled.

She drew a big breath.

"I'm not losing to her!" she declared.

Everyone was silent and I had both my eyebrows raised.

"I… Uh…" Minako said awkwardly.

"Uh…" the newcomer said, "Toriumi-sensei said its class time."

"Oh, yeah, Minato… this is Lee."

The newcomer offered his hand and I shook it.

"Minato Arisato."

He raised his eyebrows, "So, you are Minako's twin, yeah?"

"Ah… no." I said.

"Oh, she's your cousin?" he said.

"Nope. She's my friend."

"I see…" Lee said, "Well, I'm Lee… I was with the night class regime since last year, until recently… I only know Mr. Ono, Ms. Toriumi and Ekoda." He said, "Also Taro, the janitor."

His tone when saying Ekoda's name made us feel at ease; apparently, he'd come to hate him.

"Hey, do you know anyone by the name of Leah?" I asked.

"Leah?" he said blankly, "Nope."

Then, Ms. Toriumi waved at us.

"We'd better go in…" Minako said.

"Great idea." We all agreed as Toriumi stamped.

Our summer classes were, as usual, dreary, but we only had to do it for two more days…

The only people there was me, Minako, Kenji, Rio, Junpei, Pinky, Quan, Kaz, Yuko and two of our other classmates we weren't that close to.

We went home.

(08/14/10)

Tuesday…

We had Ekoda's class, and you can imagine it…

He berated us for our lack of knowledge about Classic literature, which no one really cared about, so we just ignored him.

Mr. Ono's class showed his usual antics and fetish for the _Sengoku _era.

Ms. Toriumi's class was about composition, which wasn't my cup of tea…

(08/15/10)

Wednesday…

Our last day…

We had classes and hastily got out.

"Thank God!" Junpei cried, "Those were moments of pure torture!"

"I especially hated Ekoda's classes…" Quan said.

"Hmph!" Ekoda cleared his throat, "Quan Lao, I am heartily disappointed in you… you used to be respectable, dignified and noble… now, look at you and the lot you keep."

"What do you mean?" Quan asked.

"Well, that Lee boy was a Soldier before he was kicked off…" Ekoda began.

"Honorably discharged." Lee corrected.

Quan looked at us and squared his shoulders, "I think I'm a lot more than what you said when I'm with my 'lot'."

Ekoda turned purple with rage, "You dare-"

"What's going on here?" a dignified voice said.

"What did you-" he said, then choked on his words.

Wearing cream colored pants, leather boots, a black ruffle shirt and a blazer, was a red headed woman, pale as the moon and proud as the sun…the Headmistress of Gekkoukan.

"H-Head M-Mistress Mitsuru! What a pleasant surprise!"

Mitsuru nodded.

"Pleasure. What were you in the process of doing?" she asked.

"I…I was merely… trying to…" he stammered, "Forgive me, but I need to take care of something… Very, VERY urgent… Good day!" he said and walked off.

When he left, Junpei laughed.

"What's so funny?" Minako asked.

"He had to take care of something urgent, right?" Junpei said.

"Yeah…" I said.

"I know what that was…" he said, still tearing up.

"What?" I said.

"He needed to change his diapers! He just shit himself!" Junpei then exploded with laughter as most of us did.

After that, I turned to Mitsuru.

"Thanks for the save, Mitsuru-senpai…" I said.

Mitsuru let out a gentle chuckle.

"No problem… I was just passing by to see how you are… I arranged a party at the Boarding House. I'm here to pick you up." She said.

Minako sized her up.

"So… you're Minato's second greatest love, eh?" she said, "You do look it…"

Mitsuru smiled gently as I blushed like nuts.

"I'm Minako." Minako said.

"Mitsuru Kirijo. Pleasure."

We walked to Mitsuru's limousine, where Quan, Rio, Kenji, Pink, Junpei, Minako and I fitted perfectly. The newcomer, Lee, went with us.

"She sure is rich…" Minako said.

"By the way, why are you throwing us a party?" I said, "What's up?"

"Oh, my reward for accomplishing the optional Summer classes." She said.

"Whoa, whoa, whao!" Junpei chimed in, "What d'ja mean _optional?_"

"Optional as in you're free to choose whether you join or not…" Mitsuru said.

"What?!" Junpei thundered, "First time I've heard of it!"

"Akihiko failed to mention this?" Mitsuru said.

"Obviously!" Junpei cried.

We arrived at the house, where the food was prepared.

Akihiko was watching TV.

"Hey Senpai." I greeted, "Where's Leah-nee?"

"Preparing the drinks…" He said.

We all took our seats.

"I've got a bone to pick with you, Senpai!" Junpei yelled, "Why didn't you tell me the summer classes were optional!?"

"I thought I did."

"You didn't!" Junpei cried.

"Oh… Junpei, the Summer classes were optional. There, I said it."

Junpei choked in fury.

"Hey, hey! Leah here!" Leah said, "Drinks for the thirsty kids!"

I noticed the eerie similarities of Lee and Leah… blonde hair, blue eyes, same build and same scar… hell, they even have the same hair style…

"Thanks Nee!" I said, "By the way, this guy's Lee."

Then, it happened.

Lee turned around and suddenly, the room felt weird.

We all felt as if we introduced two atomic bombs… and we were worried about which one would explode first.

The air suddenly flickered with a weird tension and a strange electricity hung in the air that caused us to get goosebumps… suddenly, the room became really dark and blue and the air of wrongness was so heavy, that Pink began to breathe really hard… and I felt as if Leah and Lee were not suppose to be in the same dimension…

Suddenly, Lee's shockingly blue eyes and Leah's electric blue eyes sparked with a strange light and the air became hot and stifling, as if the molecules became really unstable by their presence.

Lee and Leah suddenly clutched their left brow and I noticed that their scars were glowing red, as if on fire…

Then, a feeling of dread hit all of us, though we didn't know what caused it… the feeling that the very fabric of the space-time-continuum would be torn to shreds in any second.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, Lee spoke.

"N-Nice to meet you…" he managed.

"Likewise…" Leah muttered.

Then, the feeling was gone.

Mitsuru apparently noticed, since she was wide-eyed and trying not to panic.

"Dig in." She said, gesturing the sushi.

"Sweet!" Junpei said.

We dug in and had fun.

Lee went home first… I think that the thing that just happened spooked him. Not that I blame the guy… that was terrifying for us…

Leah seemed shaken enough herself, but did her duties.

Everyone was shaken.

Then, everyone went home until Minako, Junpei, Akihiko, Mitsuru and I were left.

"Did you feel that?" I asked.

"Feel what?"Minako said.

"The moment when Lee and Leah saw themselves…" I said.

Mitsuru shuddered.

"That was really… strange." Mitsuru said.

"Amen… that was really crazy." Akihiko said.

"I think this has something to do in respect with the many paradoxes…" Mitsuru said, "I will get back to you with it, but I need to go now…"

"Bye."

When she left…

"Who wants to hang out tomorrow?" Minako said excitedly, "It's the summer festival and my first time here in Japan!"

"Let's go tomorrow…" Junpei said, "Right now, I'm tired…"

(08/16/10)

Thursday…

Summer festival…

On cue, Yukari called.

"Hey Minato-kun!" she said cheerily.

"Yo." I said.

"Hmm… anyway, its summer festival today and I'd like to ask if you're free." She said.

"I'd like to." I said.

"Yay! See you!" she said.

I hung up and went down, where, surprise, surprise, Minako was waiting.

"Hey bestie…" she said.

"Hey Minako." I said.

"You free tonight?" she asked, "Wanna be my date?"

"Not really…" I said, "Uh! I'm not free tonight but I'd like to be your date… but I already promised to go with Yukari…" I said.

"Oh… that's okay then." She said and didn't seem slightly incensed.

"Aren't you mad?" I asked.

She made a strange face, "Why would I be?"

"Well… I feel like I've been blowing you off lately… I don't feel great about it…" I said.

"Hahaha! She's your girlfriend! What do I have against that?" she said, "No, go on without me." she said.

"Damn it…" I muttered.

I thought about Minako… then Yukari.

"Say…" I said, "Did we… have sex?" I said.

She seemed surprised.

"What? Why?" she said.

"Well… the party… we woke up naked…" I said.

"We didn't have sex!" she said.

"So, what did happen?" I said.

"Well, when you fell from the pool, you dragged me in… I sorta smashed a beer bottle at you and you went unconscious… Leah carried you upstairs and I took off our clothes and slept beside you…" she said.

"We didn't have sex?!" I said.

"Nope. But we did technically sleep together." Minako said.

"Oh, thank god!" I cried.

She made an offended face.

"Why? What's wrong with me?"

"Er… nothing…" I said.

"Then, why won't you have sex with me?" she said.

"Because…"

"My boobs aren't big enough." she said.

"No. believe me, your boobs are… damn, they're big." I said, making a squeezing gesture.

"Ugh! Goddamned sex deviant!"

"Not this…" I muttered, "Nevermind."

Later, I went to the festival with Minako.

She wore an autumn orange colored kimono.

"Looking good." I noted.

"I know." She said, "I've never really worn these before… they're pretty tight."

"I've heard."

We met Yukari.

"Off you go." I said.

She went off to poke around.

Yukari wore a summer yellow kimono.

"Looking great." I said.

"Thanks…" Yukari said.

"Shall we?" I said, offering my arm.

She took it and we went and had fun.

I won a Jack Frost doll for Yukari and a Kaleidoscope for Minako.

We ate Takoyaki and I actually won in the lotto.

Minako and Yukari actually got along in a friendly game of darts, something I thought was impossible.

We saw Saori and Hidetoshi, Rio and Kenji, Quan and Pinky and strangely enough, Lee and Ms. Toriumi.

Lee and Toriumi looked great as a couple, but it's really illegal for a student and a teacher to hook up...

We went home after a respectable stay of two hours.

Though we were really enjoyed ourselves, our greatest problem since Nyx would surface…

_In the next chapter…_

* * *

**_Answering questions..._**

**_MoM: Why do you usually only have one sentence per paragraph?_**

**_Well, I think it's a bad habit to make a giant block of text. Plus, it's a WHOLE lot easier to read._**


	21. Sex Scandal

**A/N: Trouble... for Minato and Minako...**

* * *

(08/16-31/10)

The rest of the summer, all we did was go to the movies and hanging out.

And we went swimming as well.

(09/02/10)

Sunday…

We had dinner with all our friends prior to our opening day…

(09/03/10)

Monday…

It was a fun day, except the Opening speech by our rather portly Principal…

Then, finally, we returned to our room.

"Class, I'm glad to see you all." Ms. Toriumi said, "First of all, I'd like to introduce our new student, Lee Ichijou Aida."

Lee, who sat behind, stood up and nodded grimly at everyone."

"Hey, his initials spell LIA!" Junpei whispered, "That sounds like Leah!"

"Wow." Minako said sarcastically, "And you found that out all by yourself?"

"Shut up!" Junpei hissed.

Then, we all became quiet after Ms. Toriumi looked us down.

"I trust you all had a great vacation?" she said.

Several shouts of yes (and a shout of no from Junpei, Kenji and Quan) erupted from the class.

"Great, now-"

Although Ms. Toriumi intended to lecture us, but we go off topic and ended up talking about our vacation.

Minako talked about the party.

Then, I noticed Ms. Toriumi frowning.

"If you guys threw a party… why wasn't I invited!?" she fumed, "I'm the moderator!"

"Well, uh…" I began, "The invites were-"

She suddenly made a sorrowful face, "I guess… Ol' Toriumi's too old to be partying…"

"No, that's a load of-" I said.

"Yeah, you're pretty old." Minako said callously.

"Minako!" I chided, "That's not nice!" I spat.

"Ah! Say it, don't spray it, homie!" she stuck her tongue out and exhaled loudly, sending spit at me.

"Ugh!"

Everyone laughed at our antics.

"I'm not that old!" Ms. Toriumi said.

"No you're not…" Lee said, "You're, what, 20? Only a year younger than me…" Lee mused.

Toriumi blushed, "I'm not that young! I'm 27!"

"Yet you still have such a banging body." Lee said.

"Lee! You could get expelled for saying that!" Kenji cried.

"S'not my fault you ain't got no balls." Lee countered.

"Alright, that's enough, you two…" Ms. Toriumi then continued her lecture.

That recess, I saw Cato.

He still stunk like stale droppings and his usually slick, beautiful, Draco Malfoy-esque hair was now wild, matted, thick and unruly and his unshaven face made him look years older.

"Hey Cato…" I said, "You're looking… rustic." I said.

His nose flared, "You… do you realize what you put me through?!"

"I don't, actually." I said.

"You realize you placed me in a sticky situation with my associates?!" Cato whispered furiously, "Now I need to pay them back twice as much! Or else they'll whack me!"

"Good. Let Daddy pay for it, then." I said.

"And I trust it was you who incinerated my taxi?" he said with a malicious gleam in his eyes.

"Look, Cato… you would've done the same thing to me… so… no offence…" I said and walked away, before coming back, "Actually, quite the opposite, really… it _is_ quite personal."

He smiled, "So help me, I will have my revenge… one way or the other."

"Yeah, good luck with that, Avenger…"

I walked away, but something in his smile unnerved me.

Cato was absent for the rest of the day… not that anyone cared.

The day ended normally.

(09/04/10)

Tuesday…

Today was probably the most awful day of school I ever had.

When I walked with Minako, Rio, Kenji and Junpei to school, everyone was looking at me.

It felt like a scene off _Glee_.

As I walked, the whole hallway parted as they looked at mostly Minako and me.

Their looks were mixed: jealousy, contempt, anger, envy, hatred, suspicion and indifference.

We brushed it off and went to class but Ms. Toriumi wasn't there. Thinking she was probably late or even absent, Minako and I chatted out loud and we noticed everyone kept giving us sidelong looks.

"Have you noticed that everyone keeps looking at us?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yeah… what's up with them?"

Then, the P.A. system boomed.

"Will Minato Arisato and Minako Arisato of class 3-D please proceed to the Principal's office immediately! Thank you."

Scoffing, Minako said, "What do they want from us this time?"

"I don't know."

We went out and the looks we got from the other classes made me feel uncomfortable.

We went in the Principal's office and inside were Ms. Toriumi, Mr. Ono, Mr. Edogawa, Ekoda and the rest of the faculty.

They looked really disappointed, (with exceptions on Mr. Ekoda, who looked very pleased) as if we had let them down big time in some sort of way.

Mitsuru was there as well, looking stern, angry and… hurt.

"Why are we here?" Minako whispered to me.

"Shhh!" I chided.

"Toriumi-sensei, why are we here?" Minako asked.

Ms. Toriumi wouldn't look at us.

"Why won't anyone tell me why?!" she cried.

"Please, have a seat." The Principal said.

We took a seat across Ms. Toriumi and she still wouldn't look us in the eye.

"I trust you understand why you're here?" the Principal asked.

"If we knew, I wouldn't be asking, now would-" I clamped her lips to prevent her from saying anything offensive.

"No, we don't." I said, "Won't you tell?"

Minako broke free and bit my fingers.

"Yow!" I howled in pain.

"Headmistress?" the Principal said.

Mitsuru looked at us darkly, as if deciding who she'd execute first.

"It has come to our attention…" she finally said, "That there has been some… rather _lewd _happenings of late."

"In English please?" Minako said.

Mitsuru, as usual, gestured to me and I explained.

"Something happened."

"What?" Minako said, "Tell us already!"

"Ahem." The Principal cleared his throat, "There has been a _sex_ _video scandal_ circulating around campus regarding two of our most promising students…"

"Who?" Minako asked, "I'm always in for sex scandals, even if it is _yaoi_…"

"It's about you two." Ms. Oiyunushi said.

I felt as if I had been shocked by a Taser while I was standing in a pool of salt water.

"What?" I said, hoping that I'd misheard.

"A sex tape. Of you two." Mr. Ono said.

Ekoda's eyes flared, "How dare you!" he choked, "How dare you make a mockery of this very institute!"

And for the first time, neither Ms. Toriumi nor Mitsuru came to our defense. They had just bowed their heads in shame.

"This is an outrage! A farce! A scandal! If it were up to me, I'd either expel you or force you two _vagrants _to commit _hara-kiri!" _Ekoda purpled in fury.

Then, Mr. Ono fumed, "How dare YOU mock the sacred arts of the Samurai!" he bellowed, "That is too much, Mr. Ekoda! You cannot speak to children like that!"

Ekoda cowered and for the first time, I saw how terrifying Mr. Ono is. Standing at nearly six feet, his towering golden helm, supposedly given by Masamune Date, made him look like a Samurai _yojimbo_ and his voice commanded respect and honor_._

"Thanks, Mr. Ono." I said.

"Don't mention it." he said stiffly.

"But we still don't have enough evidence and valid proof!" Mr. Edogawa cried, "And it would be both unfair and cruel to just expel them without proof! We can't just do that to them because of some potentially wrong hearsay!"

"We have all our proof in this video!" Mr. Ekoda yelled, holding a CD in one hand.

"Video? How did you come across it?" Ms. Toriumi spoke for the first time, her voice filled with hurt and disappointment... with a tinge of suspicion.

"I… uh…" Ekoda stammered, "Does it really matter?"

Everyone was tense.

"No…" the Principal said.

"Then let's see it!" Ekoda cried.

"What?!" Minako said.

"If you've got nothing to hide, then I guess you're safe." He sneered.

"Alright, play it! If it wasn't us, I hope you get sacked, you dirty old man!" Minako hissed.

Mitsuru smiled at her boldness.

Ekoda played the disk and we watched it.

It was a red, clouded room with strobe lights, a stripper's pole and a lot of smoke.

Standing naked was a blue haired boy with a slim, pale body and a really medium sized wiener.

A red-haired girl was standing naked and I immediately recognized them.

It was Minako and me.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I saw them embracing and kissing, eventually falling into the bed and making some moves out.

"That…" I stammered.

"Is my evidence." Ekoda finished.

"No, it's obviously doctored! My… penis, isn't that small! And I shave regularly!"

"Who can it be then?" Ekoda said.

"That couldn't be us! I can't be!" Minako cried, "That's a load of bullshit!"

"Mind your tone, Minako." Ekoda said, "Need I remind you that I am a teacher?"

"So what? I know better teachers than you, jerkface goober!"

Mitsuru smiled at Minako's cheekiness as Ekoda's eyes grew wild with anger.

The Principal shook his head.

"I have no choice, but to expe-"

"No! That was doctored, it was!" Minako cried.

"Minako, compose yourself." Mitsuru said, "The truth will come out."

She did calm down.

"Principal Kyuujuku, I believe we should take the week to investigate this… it would be a shame to lose two of our best students to a falsified video."

He nodded, "I agree."

Ekoda seemed like he was about to implode, but he kept quiet.

"You are excused for your classes tomorrow and for the rest of the week. Take your things and go home for the day." Mitsuru advised, "And if it were to be found out that someone had doctored this…" she gives a sidelong look to Ekoda, "That person would suffer."

"Thanks." We said and went out.

As I walked in the hallway, Junpei intercepted us.

"Dude!" he seemed agitated, "Did you hear? About the sex tape?"

"Yeah." Minako said glumly.

Then, Kenji and Rio came by.

"Minako! Minato!" They panted, "Did you hear about the-"

"Yeah." I said glumly.

Then, Pinky and Quan came by.

"Did you guys hear about-"

"Did you guys rehearse this? We already heard about it!" Minako snapped.

Then, true to my darkest fear, Yukari came by.

She was on the verge of tears.

"I-is it…" she stammered, "Is it true? The… the… is it?" she looked pale and was shaking.

"Yukari… I-"

"Is it or is it not?!" she said, shaking in anger and hurt.

Everyone with any sense backed away, and only Minako stood by me.

"Yukari, please understand-" I tried explaining.

"D-don't touch me…" she said in a whisper, "Don't touch me… and… answer."

"I don't know… I'm not sure…" I said.

"You're… not… sure?!" she said.

"Yes… I got really wasted and-"

She slapped me.

"I… trusted you…" she said quietly.

She slapped me again, harder this time.

"I trusted you…" she said a bit louder now.

She slapped me again, really hard.

"I trusted you!"

She slapped me multiple times in the face many times until I bled.

"I trusted you! I trusted you! I TRUSTED YOU!" she yelled as she slapped me up.

I grabbed her by her wrists and she cried: "Don't touch me!"

It was a pitiful sight. Yukari was in genuine emotional pain and there was no one to blame except me.

She freed herself.

"We're through! Over! DONE!" She said and walked away.

"Yukari!" I shouted, "W-wait!"

"I'm sorry, Minato-kun…" Fuuka said and followed Yukari.

Soon, only Minako was with me.

Cato passed by, with a smug and pleased look in his face.

"Now, we're even." He said and gives me a card, "Give me a call and I might hook you up with a job…" he said and went away.

I went home with a heavy heart as my friends try to comfort me, but I told them to give me space.

(09/05-07/10)

Wednesday-Friday…

Everyone looked at me and Minako as if we were freaks. The looks we'd get were awful.

To me, the guys congratulate me and treat me like a god.

To the girls, I was some kind of pervert who liked girls.

It was even worse for Minako…

All the guys would hook up with her and she'd punch them or something and if I came close, they'd run away.

For the girls, she was treated as unclean and shunned away as a slut.

I would defend Minako and every time I did, she'd smile.

Only our friends stood by us.

The investigation wasn't going well… who ever made the video was a talented editor and made it virtually untraceable… even the Kirijo Group's best IT technicians could not solve it…

By tomorrow, we were to be expelled.

Rio decided to make some Banana Split for Minako and me.

"Thanks…" I said.

Minako was too glum to respond, not like her to remain quiet.

"I still don't know what to do…" I said.

"Why?" Rio asked.

I told her about the progress of the investigation.

"Gee, that's tough…"

I noticed a stack of boxes by her counter.

She looked at it and smiled sheepishly.

"My uncles… he sells Recorders."

I hatched an idea.

I bought one and made my plans.

(09/08/10)

Saturday…

I walked by Rio, who gave me her device.

"It should work…" she said.

Then, Michonne and Yo passed by.

"God, Minato, isn't Minako enough? That you'd actually go for Iwasaki?" Michonne said.

"Shut up, Michonne." I said.

"Ohhh! Standing up for your GUUUURLFRIEND!" Michonne said.

"Oh! Sato lurves Saki! Sato LUUUURVES Saki!" Yo taunted.

"You two are the very definition of troll… have fun with your Lulz."

Then, we walked off.

At recess, I told Minako to head on to the Principal's office to face expulsion, to stall time, while I stayed behind.

I got a text from Kenji, who was one of my look outs.

From: Kenji T.

_KhAtO iZz ohN HiZ wAy!_

_(Cato is on his way!)_

_JeJeJe!_

_(Hehehe)_

To: Kenji T.

K.

I saw Cato enter the bathroom by the gym, a relatively abandoned location and I entered the room and locked it.

I heard snorting sounds by the end of the stall.

I opened it.

Cato was snorting a white powdery substance from a small tin he had.

He spoke with a really bad nasal voice and his nose was really red as if he had an allergy.

"What the fuck?!" Cato cried, "Arisato? *sniff* is that you? Jesus Christ, you look like shit." He said.

"I can say the same for you…" I mutter.

He takes another deep snort.

"Do you mind?"

"Is that… cocaine?" I asked.

"No." he said and hands me a note, "Cocaine? Are you kidding me?"

"Crushed camrom seeds… what the hell?" I said.

"It's for my deviated septum." He said in a thick nasal voice, "Like my Momma use to say, traditional is better than industrial… Now…Get out."

"You said you'd hook me up." I said.

"What?"

"You said you'd hook me up!" I said more firmly.

"Huh?"

"I took the fall for your little sex video project of yours..." I said, "I'm getting expelled and you said you'd hook me up."

"You're kidding." He said

I stood there, tall and firm.

"All right!" Cato said finally, "I promised to hook you up! And I will. Just go to Romano Industries and call Aoi… she'll make an appointment for you." Cato said.

"How did you do it? I'm not leaving until you tell me so." I said.

"Okay, I used a special program, made a digital copy of your head, went to ***.com and took a porn flick and pasted your heads there." Cato said.

"And do you admit you did it?"

"Fine, yes, I did do it… I did it, and I paid a lot of money for Old Ekoda to get you expelled… Christ, Minato, I'm trying to snort this thing so my damn nose won't drip like a faucet! Get out!"

I nodded and walked away.

"You've got to be kidding me! Spineless son of a bitch…" Cato mutters.

I smiled and pressed the button of the recording device I hid.

"_And do you admit you did it?"_

"_Fine, yes, I did do it… I did it, and I paid a lot of money for Old Ekoda to get you expelled."_ He stormed out of his stall.

"What the hell is this?!" he cried.

"This…" I gestured the recorder, "It's our ticket back to Gekkoukan High."

"Give me that!" he reached for it and I sidestepped and pinned him on the wall all in a fluid move.

"I wouldn't do that…" I whispered to him and let go.

"You cost me everything and I'm just returning the favor… I'm… avenging Minako and myself."

He fell to the floor, crying.

I went to the Principal's office.

"Why are you late?!" the Principal boomed, "You just missed it! You are duly expelled!"

I smiled.

They looked at me as if I was insane.

"Why do you smile?" Mitsuru asked.

"Probably wants expulsion!" Ekoda laughs, "You got it, boy!" he taps my shoulder.

"Sorry…" Minako whispers to me.

"No need." I said and I thrust the tape recorder to Ekoda.

"What is this?" he asked.

"A bomb!" I said sarcastically, "It's a recorder."

"And so?" he asked.

"With incriminating evidence… that will amuse everyone here…"

Everyone, except Ekoda seemed interested.

"Don't believe him! This is another ploy of his!"

"Play it." Mitsuru said.

"But-"

"Do as I say." She said.

He nervously played it.

As we heard it, everyone suddenly turned to Ekoda, who was suddenly interested in his shoes.

"Mr. Ekoda, I think you know what to do…" Mitsuru said.

"I… uh…" he stammered.

"Apologize, tell the truth and make a public apology... after which, you will be suspended for a week or so, but your pet, Cato will be suspended for three." She said.

"Why, I never!" Ekoda barked.

"After all, it was YOU who leaked the news and rumors, was it not? If it had been a real sex scandal, it would've circulated to the entire campus and I found it very strange you had the tape… and if you refuse… I will turn you over to the police, where you will be put behind bars, for a very, very, very long time."

"I… I will." Ekoda bowed and went out.

As he laft, Ms. Toriumi bowed to us.

"I'm sorry I doubted you two…"

Minako tackled her and hugged her.

"Needless to say, your expulsion orders have been duly revoked."

We went out.

Everyone was wondering why they were called to the auditorium. Their worst fears were confirmed when Ekoda stood there. He was about to make a speech.

"S-Students…" he began, "I-it is a great disappointment that I… say… that I was wrong… about the sex scandal regarding two of the school's most promising students, Minato Arisato and Minako Arisato… i-it was… Cato Romano who gave me money to turn in a doctored video th-that he made… and I accepted it and reported it, falsifying evidence… I humbly apologize to…" he swallowed, "Minato and Minako Arisato of Class 3-D… and I have been suspended for… a week and a half."

As he said those words, the crowd erupted in cheers and everyone in front and behind us shook our hands and apologized.

Minako pulled me to the side, her eyes twinkling.

"Thanks for proving the truth to them… you made Ekoda eat his words… I'm glad you did it for all of us."

I stopped her.

"No, Minako… I did it for you." I said.

She suddenly seemed really shy… very unlike her.

Yukari came by.

"I'm sorry I ever-"

"Yukari… what do you want?" I said coldly.

"I'm here to apologize…"

I stared at her and she seemed serious. I really couldn't be angry at her.

"I accept. But if you don't even trust me, then I find it pointless to continue our relationship… sorry."

She closed her eyes and hugged me.

"That's okay… because I'll win you back… no matter what." she said, "And Minako?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry too…" she said stiffly.

"Okay." Minako said.

"Okay… as friends, want to go home together?" I asked.

She smiled.

"I'd love to."

We went home with my friends.

They all insisted on celebrating, but I've gotten sick of it, really.

Rio and Kenji sat at one end while Quan, Pink and Junpei chatted in another section as Yukari, Minako and I sat together.

I was in the middle.

I felt sleepy and nodded off, resting my head on Yukari's shoulder.

As I fell asleep, Minako and Yukari had an awkwardly silent time together.

"Hey… Yuka-tan…" Minako began.

"Yes?" Yukari said.

"Listen…" Minako said.

Yukari looked at Minako.

"I'm in love with Minato-kun too." She said.

"..." Yukari was speechless.

"Just so you know." Minako said and they resumed ignoring each other.

* * *

**A/N: DONE.**

**I bet you all liked the part where Ekoda eats his words!**

**And when Minako finally confesses!**

**Now, remember to kindly review! Have a good day!**


	22. Ekoda Sacked

**Author's note: I made this chapter a bit long… you'll like it, especially those who expected ** to be expelled.**

**(09/19/10)**

_**Wednesday**_**…**

* * *

Last week had been the best week in Gekkoukan high ever.

Everyone was really happy about Ekoda and Cato being suspended, except, of course, Cato's cronies.

Wherever we went, people would greet us and pat us in the back.

Last Thursday, we had yet another new student named Ryu Tanaka, adopted son of President Tanaka. Lee knew him well, so I assumed Ryu was in night class until recently.

Ryu had a medium build, had olive toned skin, china white teeth, brown eyes that reflected great wisdom and rather curly yet spiky black hair that made him look like Super Saiyan from Dragon Balls, except with curly hair.

We welcomed him in our gang, but he was inclined to join Kaz's group, since he liked the sport of Kendo.

But lately, I've noticed Ms. Toriumi getting more stressed. And that's not all I've noticed. I also noticed that Minako and Yukari seemed a bit more… competitive these days. And not to toot my own horn, but I think they're fighting over me.

_Hmmmmm…. Nah!_

Last Sunday, when Ms. Toriumi treated us on an "_I'm sorry" _movie trip, Yukari wanted to walk with me and held my hand, while Minako held my arm fast. I felt like being torn apart.

Literally.

I assume they're fighting over me, but I think I'm just imagining things…

Enough with that, about two days ago, Ekoda went back to work, which ended our happy week. He became much more aggressive and nasty to us, particularly me, Minako, Rio, Junpei, Kenji, Pinky and Quan. He liked to bully poor Kenji, since Kenji would always be flustered every time Ekoda would talk harshly of him.

"Tuck in your shirt! Have you no decency?" he said when Kenji's shirt was a bit disheveled.

"Fix your hair! Decadent Philistine!" he barked when Kenji's hair was a bit windblown.

"Don't you shower at all?!" he'd bellow if we run up to him after P.E. classes.

"AHHHH! Idiot boy!" when Kenji "_accidentally" _spilled hot coffee on his white pants.

Every time he would do that, he would give us his trademark condescending sneer.

But we were shocked one afternoon when Ms. Toriumi called the gang to the faculty lounge.

Lee was already there, looking both furious and pissed off.

Ms. Toriumi looked tired, afraid and sad.

She also smelled as if she'd been drinking.

"Hey kids." She said, "Please, take a seat…"

We all took a seat.

"I… I have something I need to say…" she said quietly.

We all waited.

"... I won't be working here much longer…" she said.

We were all very surprised.

"W-Whaaaat?" Minako said.

"Noooo!" Rio cried.

"W-what?" I said in shock, "Did I hear you right?"

"D-Don't leave us!" Kenji cried.

She looked like she was about to cry. "Please understand that quitting was never a part of my plan…"

Lee bashed his fist on the table and he loomed over Ms. Toriumi.

"I see what's going on here!" he barked, "Quitting never was your idea, was it?" he said eagerly.

She pursed her lips, "Well, not really…" she shrugged, "But office hours are over and you need to leave right now."

Lee's electric blue eyes brightened, "I know! I'll _**threaten**_ the principal so you can stay! Leave it to me! Doing stuff like that are my specialty!"

Given Lee's burly body and grand knowledge in military-grade torture, we all knew he meant business.

Ms. Toriumi smiled awkwardly.

"S'not as if I was fired or anything…" she said quietly, "I was given a warning… from Mr. Ekoda."

Lee fumed, "That son of a bitch! I'll burn his house down!"

"Lee, keep your voice down!" Ms. Toriumi chided, "And… I _chose_ to quit."

"What gives, Maya?" Lee cried, "I'm trying to help you out here! Do you even care about me?!"

The room became tense.

Ms. Toriumi took something from her pocket.

"Uh…By the way… I don't really know how to send a letter, so I wrote you one… I want you to read it…" she handed it to Lee.

"You taught me a lot over those sleepless night classes…" Ms. Toriumi said quietly, "And you don't need to worry about me anymore."

Lee turned bright red with rage.

He took the letter and ripped it in half.

"WHO THE HELL WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU?!" Lee yelled.

Then, he stormed out.

"Lee!" we cried, "Lee! Come back! Lee!"

Ms. Toriumi pursed her lips.

Then, Lee deliberately began to skip Ms. Toriumi's class for the next few days.

**(09/21/10)**

**Friday…**

**Respect for the aged day…**

The first time Ryu joined us when we went out at the Junes.

It was me, Minako, Yukari, Fuuka, Rio, Kenji and Junpei.

We were sipping Coconut shakes.

Ryu was getting cozy with Fuuka, despite Fuuka having a crush with Lee.

"What's up with Lee?" Ryu asked, "I haven't seen him around much…"

"So, I guess you know him well?" Rio asked.

"Really?" Fuuka said, "You know Lee-san?"

Ryu sniffed, "Well, he's just my roommate… and classmate at night class…"

"Dorm mate?" Minako said quizzically, "They have a dorm there?"

Ryu winced, "Yeah…at the West wing… we call it the Hostel."

"Anyway, why's he so… strange suddenly?" Yukari asked.

Minako shook her head, "He's probably menstruating or something..."

"I am not." A voice behind Minako said.

"COR BLIMEY!" Minako jumped, spilling shake everywhere.

It was Lee, wearing a waiter's uniform.

He looked drunk.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" Lee asked soberly.

"Uh, hell yeah!" Minako screamed, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry." Lee said, "Hey Ryu."

"Sup." Ryu nodded.

"What goes on," Lee said, "Aside from you guys speculating about me having monthly periods?"

"You owe me a Coconut shake!" Minako said, waving her empty cup.

"Sure." Lee handed her a hundred and twenty yen, "Knock yourself out, Minako."

"Thanks! I was just kidding, but thanks!" Minako pocketed the yen as Yukari shook her head.

"Minako, the guy's working to earn a living!" Yukari chided.

"He gave it to me!" Minako said.

"It's no problem, Yukari-san." Lee said calmly, "Besides, the only reason why this business is so successful is because of cheap, inferior materials and giving out the wrong change."

"I am never buying from this place again…" Minako muttered.

"What are you doing here, dude?" Junpei said, "Didn't know you worked here."

"I'm a working student." Lee said simply.

"See Junpei?" Kenji said, "You could learn a thing or two from Lee."

"Shut up!" Junpei cried, "I work hard!"

"At? Not working?" Kenji said.

"Ah, whizzes on you!" Junpei said.

"Lee, are you still mad?" Ryu asked.

"About?" Lee said as he wipes tables.

"Toriumi-sensei." I said.

"What about her?" he said coldly.

"Uh…"

Then, a condescending, drawling voice interrupted us.

"Well, well, well…" the voice said, "Lookie here…"

It was Cato, flanked by Hide and Hortez.

"Cato." I growled.

He nodded, "Hello, Minato… it seems as if I underestimated you…"

"Big mistake…" Rio sneered.

"Silence!" Cato barked, "Anyway, you would do well to join my group… you would be a worthy ally… I have learned from our past experiences that you are a formidable adversary."

"No thanks." I said.

Cato didn't go red, but he did turn a bit pink.

"I'd be very careful if I was you, Arisato," he said carefully, "I am one enemy you do not want to make."

I stood up and looked him squarely in the face.

"Well, I guess you haven't learned from our past encounters… I'm one enemy you don't want to make either."

We stood there for some time, until he looked at Ryu, seeing potential, he talked to him.

"Hello there." He said, "This is Hide and this is Hortez… And my name is Cato Romano."

Lee gave a slight cough, trying to suppress a laugh.

"So… you think my name is funny, now don't you?" he said condescendingly, "No need to ask who you are. You're that Aida kid…"

Lee nodded amusingly.

"How your parents could even afford to send you to school is a mystery… I expect that your parents had to starve for a month just to buy your text boo-"

CRUNCH!

Lee's hard fist connected to Cato's nose, breaking it and causing him to bleed.

Hide and Hortez advanced on Lee, so we stepped in, but Lee's steely look made them back down.

"You fool!" Cato cried, "I will-"

"What, tell Daddy-o to fire me?" Lee said mockingly, "Do it, I dare you. I didn't like this crappy job anyway."

"Why you insolent little-" Cato said, stopped himself, then and left.

I nodded to Lee and Hide and Hortez ran with him.

**(09/22/10)**

**Saturday…**

**National holiday…**

We didn't do much, except stay at the house, although Yukari and Fuuka visited.

There was a strange tension between Yukari and Minako, and the way they looked at each other made me think that things would get ugly if they get a hold of bladed weapons, but they didn't do anything crazy…

Though, they didn't address each other directly, but they remained on civil terms.

We ordered some pizza and had a fun day.

**(09/23/10)**

**Sunday…**

Minako and I decided to stay at home the entire day.

Junpei joined us with Chidori as we stayed indoors, since the sky looked really cloudy.

Akihiko stayed indoors as well, playing Battle Ship with Leah.

We were right staying indoors, since it rained a few minutes later.

**(09/24/10)**

**Monday…**

Minako, Yukari and I were walking, when we met Ryu, on his way to the faculty room and decided to accompany him, since he was a bit scared, thinking he was in some sort of trouble.

Ms. Toriumi was inside and was rather surprised at our number.

"I called for one and I get four…" she muttered.

"Ms. Toriumi, you called for me?" Ryu said nervously.

She pulled another letter.

"Please…" she said, "…Take this…"

Ryu blushed, "Oh, ma'am, I couldn't, really no-" his eyes became wide when he saw who it was addressed to.

"Hey! This is for Lee! You fooled me!" he cried.

She smiled sheepishly, "I need you to give it to Aida-kun… you see, he's been avoiding me…"

Ryu then acted as if the letter was a ticking time-bomb.

"Whoa now…" Ryu said, handing it back, "I'm not playing third banana for you guys… it ain't my style."

"Please!" Ms. Toriumi pleaded, "You're with him day and night! You have a million chances to give it to him!"

Ryu turned purple, "We're just roommates! And classmates!"

Then, he calmed down, "Not like he'd read it if I gave it to him… remember you sent him a bunch of letters already?"

"You did?" I asked.

Ms. Toriumi's ears turned red.

"Listen…" Minako interrupted, "You like Lee-kun, don't you?"

Ms. Toriumi seemed surprised, then she fidgeted incessantly.

"Well? Do you?" Yukari asked.

"Er… um… uh…" Ms. Toriumi said while blushing.

I knew what Ryu was thinking… _She's cute!_

"Why are you distancing yourself from Lee?" Ryu asked, "I mean, sure he's crass, a bit nasty at times and a war-mongering fool, but he's got some good points too…"

"I know that!" Ms. Toriumi cried, "He's a great guy!"

I tried not to smile.

Ms. Toriumi looked like she was about to blush to death.

"A-anyway, I really hope you give it to him…" she said, "It's my last letter… I'm giving my farewell speech tomorrow."

"HUH!?" Ryu seemed shocked.

She smiled.

"You need to go now… I need to clear out my desk."

We followed Ryu to Lee, at the dorm by the west wing (Yes, there's really a dorm now!) with Rio and Kenji.

Lee was sulking in his room, reading _Wuthering Heights_.

Ryu entered as me, Minako and Yukari listened.

"What is it?" Lee said gruffly, "If it's another dumb letter from Toriumi, I don't want it."

"Hey, don't talk like that!" Ryu chided, "She said it was her last letter! If you want to know her true feelings, then you should read it."

Lee stood up and looked at Ryu.

"Read it for her." Ryu said, coaxing Lee to read it.

Lee nodded and took it.

Then, he ripped it apart.

"Like I give a shit."

Ryu shuddered in fury.

He lunged at Lee, a seasoned soldier, and choked him, knocking down Lee's reading glasses and book.

Kenji and I stormed in and restrained Ryu.

"Walk away, Ryu!" Kenji shouted.

"Knock it off!" I said, "Think with your brain, not your fist!"

"I've had it with this asshole!" Ryu cried, "I don't even want to see his ugly mug!"

Ryu stormed out.

Lee calmly picked up his cracked reading glasses and book and went back reading it as though nothing had happened.

**(09/25/10)**

**Tuesday**…

We were all assembled in the auditorium.

Ekoda looked unusually smug with himself.

"Good morning everyone!" the Principal began, "It's time to begin our usual morning assembly."

Everyone groaned.

Ryu and Lee were unusually quiet, as if cursing that they couldn't avoid each other in either class or their dorm.

"I'd like to hand the microphone to our very own Miss Isako Toriumi, who will be leaving us at the end of this week."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the bubbly Ms. Toriumi always made their day.

"Hmph…" Lee grunted. He was the only unhappy one, along with the gang.

Ms. Toriumi tapped the microphone twice.

"Can you all hear me?" she said, "Testing… testing…one, two, three… clean up on isle four…" everyone laughed at that last part, "Good."

She took a deep breath.

"Our time was bittersweet, but I have a lot to thank you all for…" she said, "Even though I'm older than a few of you, I still learned quite a lot from you… I'm really sorry." She directed that to Lee, who didn't even look at her, "But even though I'm gone, I'll be watching over all of you from now-" then, Lee's arm shot straight up, which surprised all of us.

"Er… Aida-kun?" Ms. Toriumi said.

"So… are you saying you're psychic or something?" he said stiffly.

Everyone looked at him. Even Ekoda stopped smiling just to look at Lee.

"H-Huh? I don't get what you're say-"

Lee waved his hands impatiently.

"You said you'd watch over us even after you're gone, so I guess you must be clairvoyant or something..." he said roughly.

Everyone looked at Lee as if he was out of his mind.

"Or…Do you plan to lurk around here like some sort of unemployed pervert…?" he mused, as if that sounded more likely.

Everyone stifled a laugh.

Ms. Toriumi looked outraged, "H-How dare you! I'd never do that! And just so you know, I do have plans!"

Lee waved his hands again.

"Your plans are **U.O.R.**…**U**seless, **O**bsolete and **R**etarded." Lee said bluntly.

"I-I'm 27, so I really **do** have a lot to think about… there's marriage and-"

"Bullshit!" Lee cried, "Admit it, you ain't got nothing, lady!"

Ms. Toriumi looked furious, "That's not true!"

Lee turned mad as well.

"You're such a goddamned liar! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A 27-YEAR OLD VIRGIN!" Lee bellowed so loudly, the auditorium turned unusually quiet at his war cry.

Ms. Toriumi's eyes became wide and she became pale.

"M-Miss Toriumi-san…" Mr. Ono said.

"Wh-wha?" Mr. Edogawa said.

Then, the entire auditorium exploded with voices.

"WHAT?! He's gotta be kidding!" a senior said.

"That can't be true!" a first year said.

"She's a virgin?!" a second year said.

"And she's our teacher! Even better!" a third year muttered.

Ms. Toriumi shook.

"Wha… W-w-w-what…" Ms. Toriumi stuttered, "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR DAMN PROBLEM?!" she yelled so furiously that everyone stood up straight. Even Lee recoiled.

"DO YOU REALLY HATE ME THAT MUCH, LEE?!" she cried, "WHO THE HELL CARES IF YOU'RE A VIRGIN AT YOUR AGE?! IT JUST MEANS THAT YOU'RE PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW! WHY SHOULD I BE ASHAMED?!"

Lee shook his head, "That's not the point!"

"WHAT IS IT THEN?! ARE YOU SELLING YOURSELF ON THE STREET TO ERAN MONEY?!"

"Of course not! I work at Junes!" Lee cried.

"I haven't done anything to feel guilty about! There's absolutely no reason for me to quit!"

"Hmph," Lee grunted, "Then don't!"

Then, I saw what Lee did… his subtle charm made him make Ms. Toriumi realize something.

Everyone stood up and waved their fist.

You'd think an explosion took place at the auditorium.

"YEAH!" they yelled so loudly, the floor shook and the windows rattled.

"Yeah! Don't quit!" A second year yelled.

"We need you here, Toriumi-sensei!" A first year yelled.

"We love you so much!" a third year yelled.

"Make Ekoda quit! Who needs classic literature teachers anyway?!" Kenji yelled.

"Hey! Who said that?! WHO SAID THAT?!" Ekoda bellowed.

Then, Ms. Toriumi left and we all went back to classes.

At dismissal, the entire gang, and I do mean the entire gang, me, Minako, Yukari, Fuuka, Rio, Kenji, Junpei, Quan, Pink, Hidetoshi, Saori, Yuko, Kaz, Bebe and Ryu, eavesdropped on Ms. Toriumi and Lee.

"Wassup?" Lee said, knocking on the rim of the door frame.

Ms. Toriumi had her hands on her head.

Lee took a seat next to her.

"What is wrong with you? How long are you going to sulk there? You've been there staring at that pack of gum for nine hours already." Lee said.

She wouldn't budge.

"*sigh* Look, the principal had been convinced by the students to let you stay… good thing you're so popular."

She shook her head.

"Ohhhh… everything's such a mess…" she moaned, "Why do you keep on interfering? I was leaving because I was thinking about your future! That's what I wrote in my letters! Didn't you read any of them at all?" Ms. Torimi said, slapping him in the arm.

Lee scoffed, "Nah. Letters are a waste of time, especially if they're from you." he said playfully, "You're pretty stupid, ya know? Why should I listen to your idiotic logic?"

"Hey! That's so mean!" she cried.

"Anyway, my future… I'm planning to start a business and investing on stock… I'm going to the Imperial University of Japan and be a democrat."

"Sounds like the stock would inflate then burst…"

"Hey, I don't need to listen to your theories on economics…" Lee said.

He gazed on Ms. Toriumi, much more kindly now.

"Who do you think you are, deciding when to say goodbye or say what's good for my future?" he said, "Let me worry about that… what, you think you're my mom or something? I'll decide my own future…" he said, then held Ms. Toriumi's hand, "OUR future."

Ms. Toriumi's eyes shined, "You can rely on me." Lee said.

After a while, he took her arms.

"Now's when you throw your arms around me, like I'm your Prince Charming… Don't cha know anything at all?" he fussed, "This arm goes… Aw, c'mon! This is suppose to be romantic, for crying out loud!" he cried, "Throw in some tears for added effect!"

Ms. Toriumi began tearing up.

"I'm laughing so hard, I'm crying…" she said in between tears as she embraced Lee.

"Yeah right…" he said with a throaty laugh.

When Lee and Ms. Toriumi looked at each other and began closing in, Ms. Toriumi said something.

"Lee…"

"What'zit?" he said.

"Lee… You get a month's detention for your cheekiness."

Lee laughed.

"No problem…" Lee said, "As long as you're in charge."

We left them, since it felt intruding to keep eavesdropping.

**(09/26/10)**

When Ms. Toriumi decided that she'll stay, we thought our problems were over.

We were wrong.

In fact, they only started.

When the gang and I passed by the faculty room, it was empty, except for Ms. Toriumi and Ekoda.

They were arguing loudly.

"…What kind of _fiend_ drinks in front of children?!" Ekoda bellowed.

"Oh, I don't know… a parent, maybe?" Ms. Toriumi said sarcastically.

"A shameful one, yes!" he barked.

"What the hell is your problem, Ekoda?!" Ms. Toriumi said angrily, "I already told you that booze isn't mine!"

"A likely answer." Ekoda said smartly, "How sure am I that you aren't lying?"

"That's bullshit! You planted that!" she said.

Ekoda smiled, "Well… I do have my _club_ to testify… and seeing as I'm a great teacher, it is my solemn duty… to have you _sacked!"_

"Ah, just try it, Ekoda! There ain't enough balls in the whole pussy lot of ya!" Ms. Toriumi cried.

"Hmph! I'd watch my language, if I was you… anyway, there's a few things I need to finish first… then, I'll alert the Principal… better yet, the Headmistress."

Ekoda huffed and left. He didn't even notice us as he left.

Me, Minako, Rio and Kenji went in.

"What goes on?" Kenji asked casually.

"Kenji!" Rio chided.

Ms. Toriumi looked up.

"Hey guys…" she said, "Nothing…"

"What did Ekoda do?" Minako asked.

"Ugh…" Ms. Toriumi said, "Ekoda planted all this booze in my table-locker..."

She opened it and we were very surprised.

"Holy crap! There's half of Greece in there!" Minako cried, pointing at the obscene amount of beer.

"But why would he do such a thing?" Kenji asked.

Minako snorted, "Probably cause Ekoda's too dumb to find the real one."

"I know, right?" Ms. Toriumi said, "What should I do…?"

"I have an idea…" I said.

I went to Lee.

Lee was in his room, watching a football match, while Ryu was on .

I explained the situation to Lee.

"That bastard…" he muttered, "What do you want me to do?" he said.

"We need to smuggle the booze out of the faculty room…" Minako said, "D'ja know somewhere we could dump it?"

"What kind of booze?" Ryu said.

"Uh… Hennessy, Jim Beam, Jimmy Walker…" I counted.

"Black?" Lee asked.

"Blue." Rio corrected.

"Oooh!" Lee rubbed his hands, "How much bottles?" Lee asked excitedly.

"More than a dozen…" Rio said.

"Anyway, we need something like a pit, somewhere deserted and-"

"Are you insane?!" Lee cried, "You never get that much swill in a liquor shop! I'm taking it!"

"Lee… think very carefully about it…" Ryu warned, "Think twice about it, then do it again and again and-"

"Aw, don't be such a wet blanket, Ryu!" Lee said, "I'll bring some girls from the East wing… it'll be a party!"

Then, we emptied our bags and went back to the faculty room and loaded it in our knapsacks. It was very heavy and we had to climb three flights of stairs, but we managed to bring it to Lee.

He took it and hid it under his bed.

"Ugh! Poor Maya…" Lee said, "I mean, what kind of a world do we live in where Ms. Toriumi gets punished for doing nothing while that rat bastard Ekoda gets away with accepting bribes from his students?!"

"He does?" Yukari asked.

"Yes!" Lee said.

"To who?" Yukari asked.

"Well, that Cato for one."

He goes to the door.

"Now, before you go, I need to tell you something I overheard…" he said quietly as he closed the door.

"What is it?" Rio asked.

"Yeah… is it top secret?" Kenji asked.

"It's about that old man, Ekoda…" Lee said, "Turns out, he sells his test answers for quite a lot of yen…"

"Really?!" Rio said.

"No way!" Kenji cried.

"Way. He sells advanced copies to his students! And no one says a word! It's a damn outrage! I'd condone it, hell, I might even buy a few copies from him, but that hypocrite's got poor Maya by the balls!" Lee said.

"That dirty snake!" Yukari muttered.

"That's right… I forgot about that…" Quan muttered, "Of course, Pink and I never needed those!"

"Hehehe…" Pinky laughed nervously.

"How much?" Minako asked.

"About 20,000 yen." Lee said.

"Holy crap! Who carries that much bread?" Minako cried.

"The better question is, who WANTS to buy test answers?" I said.

"He also sells the other teacher's test answers…" Lee said.

"Wait… what if we took a few photos of him? He'd be sacked!" Minako cried in glee.

"Wow, Minako… did'ja figure that out by yourself?" Yukari said sarcastically.

"Shut up, Takeba!" Minako shouted.

"Calm down you two…" I said, "That actually might work."

"Yeah! I mean, I'd take a few photos myself, but good old Mr. Ekoda was kind enough to remind me about my detention detail…" Lee said sheepishly, "Can you guys do me a favor?"

"Sure thing, pal!" I said.

"Follow that rich kid… Cat-whatshisname." Lee said.

We borrowed three cameras from the Photography club and headed off to the location of Ekoda's "Deal-sites".

Rio and Kenji went off in one pair and we went off in another while Quan and Pink went off in another.

We followed Cato while Rio and Kenji followed Hide and Quan and Pink followed Hortez.

We tailed Cato as he exited the Cafeteria.

He was walking with a certain swagger as he entered the Gym.

We hid behind the Basketball court and snapped a few photos of him giving it to three second years.

We followed him to the Badminton court, where he sold it to a member of the fencing club and the boxing club.

"Right on our own damn turf! The nerve of that asshole!" Minako hissed.

We followed him to the abandoned side of the school.

Yukari and Minako were on either side of me as we hid behind the persimmon tree.

"There he is!" Minako whispered excitedly.

"I see him too!" Yukari said.

Ekoda was standing behind the bleachers as Cato and his cronies walked up to him. Ekoda was holding a bundle of papers.

"That's a lot of yen…" Yukari murmured.

I took a dozen snap-shots and Minako pumped her fist.

"Alright! Level up!" she cried.

Yukari narrowed her eyes.

"Say that again?"

"Uh… Alright, level up?" Minako repeated, "Why?"

"Has anyone ever said that you sound like Risette?" Yukari said.

"Hell no!" Minako barked, "No way I sound like her!"

We followed Ekoda and took a few more photos.

We rendezvoused with Kenji and Rio.

We returned to the Faculty room.

Ekoda was already there, with Principal Kyuujuku and Mitsuru.

"You know, this… temptress drinks on school campus!" Mr. Ekoda cried.

The Principal's nose flared, "WHAT?! DRINKING?! I will terminate your contract!"

"There's still no proof." Mitsuru said coolly.

"Eh?" the Principal said, "Very well. Where is your evidence, Ekoda-san?"

"Check her cabinet! Think of the students, Headmistress!" Ekoda cried.

"Funny you should say that…" Minako said, "If anything at all, you couldn't care less about us, Ekoda."

"How dare you address me like so!" Ekoda bellowed, "Enough games! I shall deal with you lot after I deal with Toriumi-san!"

He brushes us aside and checks the cabinet, which was empty.

Mitsuru looked really annoyed.

"Mr. Ekoda, for the last time, I do not think much of being disturbed for some… fantasy liquor cache." She said sternly.

"I'm telling you! She set those students of hers to get rid of it!" Ekoda said, pointing a finger at us.

"Don't you point those dirty, hairy claws at me!" Minako cried.

"Tell me…" Ms. Toriumi said, "How could a bunch of students sneak that much liquor out? Not if they emptied their knapsacks and stuffed the beer in their bags!"

We stood there laughing nervously.

"Well, we must set an example, I'm afraid…" The Principal said, "And morality will be your teacher."

"Is that so?" I said, "Then you might want to take a look at these…" I said, handing the photos to Mitsuru and the Principal.

"What is this?!" Mitsuru thundered.

"It's that stupid, dumb, ugly hypocrite selling test answers to students!" Yukari cried.

"Fire his paddy ass!" Minako urged.

"Yeah!" Kenji chimed in.

"Wh-What?!" Ekoda said, shuddering, "You took pictures?!"

"Nah, we recorded your voice, that's why we have pictures!" Minako said sarcastically.

"Toshiro! And to think, I trusted you!" the Principal cried, "You're fired!"

"B-But… I-I…" Ekoda sputtered.

"Wait…" Mitsuru said.

"Thank goodness!" Ekoda said.

"Principal, you are in no authority to fire him."

"That's right!" Ekoda cried.

"It's mine." Mitsuru turned to him, "You're fired."

Ekoda spent the rest of the hour pleading with Mitsuru, until she ordered us to haul him off.

"Good bye, dirty old man!" Minako cried.

We all celebrated at our place.

Strictly no drinks.

Then, I felt as if I bonded with my friends, Minako and Yukari most especially.

It felt great that we rid the school of Ekoda.

* * *

**A/N: Finished. Another long chapter.**

**I borrowed a few elements, and yeah, there's a new dorm. For working students...**

**Too many OC's, I know... But I got rid of one to make room for more... **

**Any questions, leave a review about it or PM me directly.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Please do not forget to leave a review! I always take your words to heart.**


	23. New Professor

**A/N: Hey guys, another meaningless Author's Note from OPD…**

**I'd like to say a few things, this is going to be quite long, so for those who are not interested, you may skip the entire passage and continue reading the story.**

**One, I'm skipping ALL exams. Yes, that's right, Minato just says "We had exams this week." Why? Is it even relevant? Do I have to go out of my way to make test answers? Thought so. And because I **_**can**_**. _**

**BUT, if you want to submit your questions for the exams, because you want to, then just PM me and I'll put it up next time and acknowledge you.**

**Second, the cast is as big as it's gonna get. Actually, I'm introducing Ekoda's replacement. So, Ken and Aigis fans, don't expect Aigis nor Ken to make an appearance. Koromaru, yes, I might be able to fit him in, since he's also my favorite, but not Ken or Aigis.**

**I think that Ken isn't important to my story and he might conflict in the love triangle (That weird relationship between him and Minako just grossed me out a bit.) also, I know that Aigis-fans will kill me for saying this, but I NEVER liked Aigis.**

**That's why she didn't make a single appearance here or in Days of Summer.**

**Yeah, I finally said it. I despise Aigis because she had a hand in Minato's death by sealing Thanatos in Minato. Had she done her job, Minato wouldn't have died. Also, it's highly unrealistic, ludicrous even, to let a robot go to school. I also think she's ridiculous. **

**I'm sorry, but I ought to make it clear that I totally dislike Aigis to the very carbon fiber of her being.**

**So… bite me. :P**

**Third, I will not, shall not and will NEVER change my writing style. Much easier for me to do stick writing this way.**

**Fourth, what is it with Minako ALWAYS being reserved and calm? Why can't he be a normal guy? Should a caterpillar be always a caterpillar or can it grow into a butterfly? It's like we stereotype Minato to always be a boring, zombie EMO. I mean, Yu Narukami had a personality in the Anime, why can't Minato have one as well?**

**When Minato died, his personality died with him. When he came back, he had a new personality.**

**Besides, would you ALL like a fic wherein the wall has more personality then Minato? I think he's more interesting WITH a personality.**

**And lastly, after this story, if I feel like it, I might start a new fic called Days of Spring (Fuuka) or Days of Winter (MITSURU!) **

**If any of you support that idea, then voice your opinions.**

**Has anyone noticed that the girls of Persona often correspond to the seasons?**

**That's just a thought ^, so don't get your hopes up.**

**Anyway, I'm done ranting, so thanks for listening to moi.**

**Anyone want to rant to me for what I said, kindly do it over PM.**

**Thanks.**

**-OPD**

**P.S.**

**About Pi… it's actually pronounced **_**P-ee or Pea **_**but not **_**pie.**_

* * *

**(09/29/10) **

**Saturday…**

Since Ekoda was sacked a few days ago, we've had an unfortunate (fortunate) vacancy in the Classic Literature department.

Usually, we wouldn't really mind it, but we had exams on the following week, which wasn't pretty at all.

We were walking one recess when we spotted Mitsuru glancing at the bulletin board.

She looked a bit stressed.

"Hey, Senpai." I greeted, "Why the long face?"

Mitsuru looked at us kindly, "Hello, Minato, Minako, Yukari…" she said, "No reason… we're in need of a Classic Literature teacher and I can't seem to find any good ones… or even _qualified_ ones."

"As if Ekoda counts as qualified…" Minako muttered.

Quan passed by with Pink and Ryu.

"What's going on here?" Ryu asked.

"Eh?" Minako said, "Nothing much, mop-top… why?"

Ryu frowned, "Mop top?"

"Yeah, what's it to-" Minako began.

"Never mind that…" Mitsuru interrupted, "If you guys don't have any spare Classic Lit. teachers, then kindly leave me be… I have enough problems without the Gekkoukan Board of Governors on my coattails…"

Quan raised his hand, "Uh… Madame Headmistress? My Dad's a teacher…"

Mitsuru's eyes sparked and she glared at him, "Is that so? Is he qualified?"

"More than that!" Quan said.

"Yeah! Uncle is totally cool and hip! Not like that Old man…" Pink muttered.

"Then why haven't you ever mentioned this before?!"

Quan shrugged, "You never really asked. My Dad has a Master's degree in English, Major in Literature."

"That's just… _Tres bien_!" Mitsuru cried, "When is he available? Does he have a job already?"

"Unemployed." Quan said sheepishly, "He always wanted to work here…I'll talk to him 'bout that." he left for the payphone.

Then, he came back.

"Dad says he'll do it… about time too…" Quan muttered.

"Great." Mitsuru said.

Sometime later, a tall, handsome man with woolly ivy-league gingery red hair, freckles and a ready smile walked to the faculty room. He looked a little like Mr. Schue from Glee, except with red hair, pastier face, brownish five O'clock shadow and no cleft in his chin.

"Sup, Dad?" Quan said.

"Hey Quan..." Quan's father said, ruffling Quan's messy red hair.

"Uncle!" Pinky cried, putting out a fist.

I thought she was going to punch him.

"Hey Pink." He bumped Pink's fist, "Pink with the pink hair."

"Hello, Mr. Lao, how do you do?" Mitsuru said, offering her hand.

"Very well, Madame Headmistress…" Quan's father said, shaking her hand, "Just call me Peter. My Chinese name is Lao Pi, but I prefer Peter."

"Very well, Peter-san." Mitsuru said, "I'm aware that you're interested in the position of Classic Literature teacher? I trust you have your bio-data?"

"Yes," Mr. Pi said, handing her the bio-data, "Actually, I've been trying to apply here, but the position was taken."

"Not anymore… So, you want the job?" Mitsuru asked, looking over his bio-data, "Your references are _tres bien!" _Mitsuru exclaimed, "Went to one of the finest academy at Canton, China, and graduated top of your class at 1990, and Graduated Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude, you were a fellow professor at Cambridge University and even Master Poet of the United Kingdom Society of Classic Literature!" she exclaimed, "Forgo Mr. Peter, Professor Peter suits you!"

"Yeah… Those were the glory days…" Professor Peter said wistfully.

"If you had it good, sir…" Ryu said, "Then why did you quit?"

"Well… my firstborn son got in a spot of trouble…" he looks at Quan, who suddenly became interested in the fire extinguisher, "And we had to move out. So, Madame, do I get the honor and privilege of the job…?"

"You drive a hard bargain, Professor Lao, but I accept." Mitsuru said, "You start tomorrow."

Quan smacked his Dad in the back, "See Pops? Ya ain't unemployed anymore!"

"Not if you say it like that…" Professor Peter said.

* * *

**(10/03/10)**

**Wednesday…**

We were asked to assemble to the Auditorium.

Everyone didn't mind, seeing as they were excused from first period classes.

It was Principal Kyuujuku and Headmistress Mitsuru Kirijo.

"Good morning everyone!" The Principal began, "I will not keep you long."

As he said that, mixed reactions erupted: Gladness that he wasn't going to make a long, terrible speech, annoyance that they're going back to classes earlier, but more so on the former.

"As you all know, Mr. Toshiro Ekoda," he said that with a sour expression. "Had been with us for almost a decade, but sadly…"

"He died?" a first year said hopefully.

"Er… no."

"Maimed?"

"Um… Not really, but-"

"Severely wounded?"

"Uh uh-"

"Badly mauled?"

"NO!"

Everyone erupted in talk.

Mitsuru stepped forward.

"Silence." She said commandingly and to my surprise, everyone became quiet.

"Ehem. As I was saying, Mr. Ekoda has been relieved of his duties as the Teacher-in-charge of Classic Literature."

Everyone clapped.

"On a happier note, I am glad to welcome a new teacher, who shall fill in Mr. Ekoda's former position…" Mitsuru said.

Everyone murmured excitedly.

"By none other than Professor Lao Pi, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Classic Literature teacher."

Professor Peter stepped forward and nodded.

A few scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause, only those who knew him, like me, Minako, Yukari, Ryu, Pink and Quan, clapped hard. Hortez clapped, but Cato snapped and Hide bashed his fist into Hortez's ear.

Then, we were dismissed.

_**Later**_**…**

It was about time for Classic Literature class…

We were bustling in class, they were wondering when the new teacher would arrive.

Then, a man wearing blue rolled up long sleeves with an Argyll's vest entered the room.

Everyone looked at him as Quan maintained a pokerface.

Other than Minako, he also had red hair.

"Hey… he has red hair too…" Lee behind me whispered.

"Yeah… I mean, only Minako and Quan have red hair in this class… Did you know that he's Quan's dad? Interesting eh?" Ryu said.

"Wait… Minako has red hair as well…" Lee noted excitedly, "Looks like Quan's dad has a _**lot**_ of explaining to do…" Lee snickered.

Professor Peter cleared his throat.

"Good afternoon class…" he said, "My name's Professor Lao Pi. You may call me Professor Pi or Peter or Peter. I will be your Classic Literature teacher from this point onward."

Yuko raised her hand.

"Yes?" Professor Peter said.

"Uh… sir, what really happened to Mr. Ekoda? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's gone, but I'm curious." Yuko asked.

"Oh, about that…" Professor Peter said, "I have been informed by the Headmistress… Mr. Ekoda has been fired due to him selling Advanced Copies of answers to students… I gather none of you here has been his customer?" Professor Peter said, raising an eyebrow.

Everyone immediately rejected the idea as they whistled nervously. A few students perspired excessively.

"Good. Yes?" Professor Peter said, pointing to Junpei.

Junpei snorted.

"Lao Pi?" Junpei said, "What, are you Chinese or something?"

"Actually, I am." He said, "My son, Quan, also has a Chinese name. Lao Quan. What's your name?"

"Uh… _Kenji_." Junpei lied.

"That's a lie! His name is Junpei!" Rio cried.

"Hey! Let me fight my own battles!" Kenji cried.

Everyone laughed. Then, they began putting their notebooks and books out.

"One moment… would you all please put your notebooks and textbooks back in your bags? You will need only your _Mythology _books." Professor Peter said as he looks out the window, "Fine day today."

Everyone scratched their heads.

"Uh… Sir, Mr. Ekoda never used that book…" Rio said.

Professor Peter smiled kindly, "I guess now would be the perfect opportunity."

"Uh… I left mine at my locker, can I go over and get it?" Ryu asked.

"I left mine at the Dorm." Lee shrugged.

"I left mine at home." Minako said sheepishly.

"My dog ate my book." Junpei said.

Professor Peter smirked, "No need. The Librarian has kindly allowed me to borrow a few. In fact, they're outside…" he said.

Everyone went out and grabbed a book.

"Right then." said Professor Peter, "If you would all kindly follow me…"

Puzzled, but very interested, the class followed Professor Peter to the courtyard.

As we passed by the other classes, they looked eagerly at us.

We went out to the field and eventually reached the spot of the Persimmon hill, where there was a stump at the base of the Persimmon tree.

"Kindly take a seat."

We took a seat in the grass. The air felt invigorating and the sound of the ocean waves made the place very relaxing. The grass felt soft and smelled fresh.

"Right. It always is great going outdoors, isn't it?" Professor Peter said and he wasn't lying.

The clear blue sky was just mesmerizing… there wasn't a cloud in the sky… just the sun in our eyes and it was a cool day the fresh air and cool breeze made us feel as free as a bird.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was a dream.

"It's totally great, sir!" Lee cried as he took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Lee." Said Professor Peter, "Shall we proceed?"

Everyone looked at the new Professor with much respect as he sat on the stump.

"Can anyone define poetry?" he asked.

A few of us looked at each other quizzically.

"No one?" he said.

Yukari raised her hand.

"Yes, Yukari-chan?" he said.

"Poetry is a form of literary verses written in high quality, pertaining to beauty, nature and emotion."

"I couldn't have put it better myself." He said as Yukari stuck her tongue out at Minako, "But what is it, really?"

Everyone was stumped. Yukari dejectedly sat down as Minako stifled a snicker.

"No one?" he asked, "Okay. Poetry is all about high quality verses, about beauty, nature and emotion. But, the most important facet in poetry is…?"

No one answered.

"I'll give you all a hint. It's Mel Gibson's last line in Braveheart."

Kenji raised his hand.

"Yes Kenji-kun?"

"They fought like warrior-poets. They fought like Scotsmen and won their freedom…?" Kenji said unsurely.

"So close… good try, Kenji-kun. I admire your attentiveness… I actually meant last line _pre-execution_." Professor said.

Minako raised her hand, "Yes, Arisato-chan?" he said.

"Freedom?"

"Right on the money, Arisato-chan." Professor Peter said, "How could poetry exist if people had no freedom? Most poet's are naturalists, nature boys, if you'd prefer. The likes of John Keats and Mary Shelly are often called the most profound poets in the last century. They are often called "Noble Savages". They liked to live in forests, away from the city and write all about beauty, nature and freedom, away from the unneeded turmoil and strife of life. That's why we're here and not inside school…" he said.

Everyone laughed.

"Can anyone tell me why though?"

No one raised their hands.

Professor Peter shook his head, "I trust Mr. Ekoda hadn't covered this yet?"

We shook our heads.

Minako raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"They were protesting the Industrial Revolution?" Minako said.

"Yes!" Professor said, clapping and pointing at her, "They were protesting!"

Minako winks at Yukari, who clutched the grass and ripped it off in fury.

"The British began a period in their era known as the Industrial Revolution. But I won't discuss that as of now. If you have any questions, ask Mr. Ono. That is, if you can make him talk of something other than the Sengoku era…"

Everyone giggled.

"Kidding aside, England used to be a utopia of lush, green forests and blue lakes so clear, you could drop a rock and see it settle at the bottom of the lake. These were the favorite haunts of these great poets. They wrote countless ballads, epics and stories under great big oak trees beside a bubbling spring, which they could drink in the midsummer heat… there were clear and great rivers… magnificent butterflies everywhere too, providing a whimsical show as they fought to gather nectar… unfortunately, the Industrial Revolution ruined their paradise." He said sadly.

"What happened?" Rio said excitedly.

"Yeah! This is too interesting!" Yukari said.

"Very well… the lush forests with their great, big trees were cut to feed the fires of industry while it dumped its waste in the rivers, polluting it and killing all the magnificent fish... the factories billowed out great, black plumes of smoke that also sent black soot in the air, which decimated the butterfly population as well as making people sick… the other people didn't mind, as it was the road to progress and they saw it only as a minor hindrance… but it was even worse for the poets… they lost the only place they saw as a symbol of their freedom. " he shook his head grimly.

"Oh my…" Rio said, at the verge of tears.

Everyone was shocked.

"Wh-What happened?" Yukari asked.

"They rebelled." Professor Peter shrugged, "Most of the students quit school to live an ascetic life as a poet in the untouched forests, living as Noble Savages, as they called themselves. They never feared the government, nor did they back down from defending their land without violence. The people learned that _don't fear the fighter, fear the writer."_

We couldn't help but clapped. Professor Peter was a very effective teacher.

"Now, turn to page 416 of your Mythology books. I will recite the first verse."

He recited the verse beautifully.

The girls were so touched about his elegant way of speaking about Psyche and Cupid that hardly any of the girls wasn't crying.

He gave everyone some advice and let all of us recite a verse from our favorite Myth.

Lee spoke silkily about the _Iliad, _particularly describing with extremely graphic details of Achilles killing Hector.

Even Professor Peter grimaced.

Ryu recited about Theseus, the wisest hero in Greece, comforting his cousin Heracles.

Ryu had a big-brother-like voice that reassured us.

Then, he made Junpei recite, not after giving him some excellent advice.

Junpei recited unusually well about Orpheus and Eurydice. Probably since it had a connection between him and Chidori.

Needless to say, the only real good ones were Minako, Yukari, Fuuka (despite her shyness) and Quan (surprise, surprise.).

"Excellent work, all of you!" Professor Peter cried, "Simply marvelous! I couldn't ask for a better class! Well done everyone… let me see… five points to all of you who recited, ten for Junpei, since he recited an entire story… and an extra five each to Yukari-chan and Arisato-chan."

"B-but I recited only once!" Yukari said.

"You and Arisato-chan recited at the beginning of my class." Professor Peter said mildly, "Excellent lesson, everyone! Homework, kindly read about Hamlet and summarize it for me… pass it next Saturday and kindly hand it over to Quan… Quan, I hold you responsible for it."

"Yes Sensei." Quan said.

Professor nodded, "Alright. That's good. That will be all for now… dismissed."

Everyone stood up and bowed, a rare sight, and talked animatedly about mythology as we dispersed.

"That was the best Classic Literature lesson we have ever had!" Kenji declared as they made their way to the classroom.

"He seems like a great teacher." Yukari said.

"Hell yeah! Classic Lit. is now my favorite class!" Minako declared.

"Yeah, Quan, your dad rocks!" Junpei said.

Quan's ears turned red. Pink squeezed his arm.

* * *

**(10/02/10)**

**Tuesday…**

Everyone was still chatting about his classes. Even the lower years thought fondly of him.

"He's brilliant!" one guy said.

"The best."

People often walk up to Quan, not knowing his connection with Professor Peter.

"Hey, have you seen a Chinese guy?" he asked.

"Yeah. Me." Quan said mildly.

We'd snigger at that.

"No, not you, another Chinese guy!" the student said.

"My dad? He's in the faculty room."

"Whoa! Your old man is Professor?! God, you're so lucky!" the guy said, then left for the faculty room.

Sometimes, girls would come up to Quan.

"Hey, is your dad single? I want to date him!" she said and from her tone, she wasn't kidding.

Professor Peter usually wore rolled up long sleeve polo shirts with wool vests. Usually plaid or Argyll's. Sometimes, a different pattern. He'd sometimes wear a rather stylish brand of polo shirts with suspenders. He manages to pull it off while looking many and stylish, instead of looking like a goober.

"Yeah, uh… I don't think my mom would appreciate that…"

The girls would leave dejectedly.

"Hey! Why don't you girls ask if I'm single?!" Quan cried at them.

"Hmph!" Pink would look away from him.

"Wh-what?" Quan said sheepishly.

Pink would blow a loud and wet raspberry and step on his foot.

"Yeow!" Quan cried, "What'd I do?!"

"Geez… you're as thick as a rock…" Minako muttered.

This evening, my friends and I decided to have a study session.

Yukari, Kenji, Rio and Minako came over.

Yukari and Minako seemed stiff at each other, but I didn't know about it. They also took some time to come back in…

_Meanwhile…_

Yukari was about to go in the house, when Minako called her.

"Minako-chan…" Yukari said.

"What are you doing out here?" Minako asked.

"Nothing." Yukari said.

"I need to ask you something." Minako said sharply.

Yukari was taken aback by her boldness, but nodded.

They sat at the steps.

"Are you jealous every time I hang out with Minato?" Minako asked.

Yukari turned bright red, "O-of course not!"

"Tch… don't bother hiding it."

"H-Hide what?" Yukari said nervously.

"You still have a crush on Minato-kun."

Yukari's eyes widened and she bit her nails.

"I…I…"

"There you go! See, you're doing it!" Minako said, pointing a finger at her.

"Huh?" Yukari said confusedly.

"Aw come on… whenever you talk about Minato-kun, you do THAT!" Minako pointed out.

"B-But…"

"You did that in Professor Peter's class!" Minako said.

"Hmph… if that's the case… I guess it'd be okay with you if I ask Minato-kun to be my boyfriend?" Minako said.

"Huh? Minako… you're kidding, right?" Yukari said, "Ha…ha… good one!" she nudged Minako.

Minako didn't move a muscle.

"You can't be serious!" Yukari cried.

"It's on then." Minako said, "The race to see who can capture Minato-kun's heart first!"

"Uh…" Yukari stammered.

Minako turned away and went in.

"Hang on, Minako!" Yukari cried.

_**At home, same time.**_

"Let's play cards!" Kenji suggested.

"God Kenji! We came here to study, not play Uno!" Rio chided.

I went to my room.

When I went back in Rio was on top of a crying Kenji, stuffing his mouth with crumpled paper.

Kenji looked at me with crazed eyes, "Uwhelp mwee, Mwinatuuuh!"

"Hey Minato." Rio said as she sat on Kenji, holding a crumpled paper. Junpei was videoing it.

"What are you doing?" I said, feeling inclined to laugh.

"Oh…" she said, "He can't seem to memorize it, so I'm feeding it to him… I figure if his memory won't work, then maybe his stomach will abide to it… once it gets in his stomach, he'll learn from osmosis and once I fit the textbook in his mouth, he'll be a genius!"

Junpei guffawed, "Oh internet, this is SOOO going all over you!"

The duo finally arrived.

Minako took a seat next to me.

"Hey, Minato, can ya teach me about Quantum Physics?"

"Yeah, sure…" I said, "I mean, Helel exploits Quantum Physics when he uses Morning Sta-" he stopped himself, "Never mind."

I was lecturing Minako about it and as she peered over my book, her bra strap and shirt strap fell off to the side of her shoulder.

I turned red.

Yukari glared at Minako as she looked up from her book.

"Ah, sorry… I guess this is a little too big for me… hehe…" Minako said.

"N-No worries…" I managed.

("_She did that on purpose… there's no way both straps could fall down like that… Tch, why is Minato turning red?"_ Yukari thought.)

I looked at Yukari.

"..." Yukari shuddered.

"Urrm…." She fought to contain herself.

I looked at her intently.

"UNNGGHHH…" she growled.

She latched on my arm, "Teach me too, Minato-kun."

"Huh? Uh, sure."

I carefully explained it to Yukari.

"Huh?" Minako noticed us.

"I'm not giving up either!" Yukari whispered.

I assumed she was talking about the lesson, so I didn't mind it.

"Teach me about Renaissance paintings, Bestie!" Minako said, pulling my arm.

"Wha-"

"No, teach me about Logarithms!" Yukari cried.

_I don't know what's going on, but I'm liking it!_

"Huh?!" I felt a lot of pain as my arms were being pulled roughly at both sides.

"Ow! Hey, what is this, a human tug-o-war?! Owww!"

Needless to say, I didn't study much last night…

* * *

**(10/03/10)**

**Wednesday…**

The exams started today.

Values and Economics.

Since I study with Minako (and Yukari, who seems rather clingy,) every night, it was cake.

* * *

**(10/04/10)**

**Thursday…**

Composition and English Grammar.

We easily aced this, especially Lee and Ryu, who were writers.

Ryu looked somewhat tired, I heard he spent the entire night in a Pokemon Adventure RP forum while Lee had a crazed look in his eyes, as if he finished an incredibly long chapter in his Fanfiction story.

* * *

**(10/05/10)**

**Friday…**

Math and Physics.

I eased this exam, since I sorta had a liking to it.

The others, I don't really know…

* * *

**(10/06/10)**

**Saturday…**

The day everyone's been waiting for…

History and Classic Literature.

This is the first time in Gekkoukan history that the students were ever hyped at Classic Literature exams.

History was easy, since Mr. Ono focuses on the Sengoku era.

The Classic Literature exams were a mix of Ekoda's unfinished work and Professor Peter's own work.

It was very fun.

* * *

**(10/07/10)**

**Sunday…**

I did my homework as Minako and I spent the day at home.

We were at the kitchen.

She was unusually quiet as I sipped my prized SunBucks Mayan coffee.

"Hey, why are you so quiet?" I asked.

"Mmmm… it's a nice day out, isn't it?" she said, "Like, ideal for going out to buy clothes and having a nice dinner…" she said, "Of course, it'd be fun to do it with someone…" she said as she squirmed.

"Sounds like you're talking about a date." I said as I sip on my coffee.

She blushed.

"Yeah, you're right." she said.

_Minako is acting totally strange today…_

"Minato-kun…" she said, "Wanna…"

I looked at her.

"…Try going on a date with me?"

I sputtered the coffee.

"Huh?! You and me?!"

"Ack!" she yelped, then maintained her cool.

"Just kidding! Hehehe… you didn't think I was serious, eh Bud?" she said, "I'm just teasing you because you're always by yourself."

That hit a nerve, "Eh?!" I growled, "Hmph… like I'd go out with a little brat like you." I said.

"What?! L-Little brat?!"

She picked up a pepper shaker and unscrewed it and dumped it on my coffee.

"Hey stop it! Quit putting pepper on my coffee dammit!" I cried.

I looked at the now-grey liquid.

"Great. Now what?" I said, "I can't drink this because-" I took a sip, "Mmmm! Hey, this actually tastes good!" I took a few more sips, "You discovered a great coffee recipe, Minako!"

"Ugh! I give up!" Minako cried and puts her hands on her head.

* * *

**(10/08/10)**

**Monday…**

**Sports day…**

We were allowed to go home on our own discretion, but there were also Sports competitions, so no one wanted to anyway.

Minako and I passed our papers to Quan, who took it to his father.

After that, we competed in the Students vs. Teachers Badminton game.

I played with Professor Peter.

Despite being 21 years older at 38, the Professor was surprisingly agile and quick.

It took all my strength just to tie with him.

Rio totally crushed Kenji.

Lee decimated Ms. Toriumi, showing no mercy to his girlfriend.

Next was doubles.

Professor Peter and Ms. Toriumi paired up while Lee and Quan formed an unlikely duo.

They lost to Minako and me while Ms. Toriumi and Professor Peter dominated the court.

The next match was Teacher and student vs. Teacher and student.

Teachers and students paired up, but the most prominent team was Lee and Toriumi and Professor Peter and Quan.

It was a match worth watching.

It was rather close and nearly an hour and a half passed and they scored a tie.

It was a fun day.

Ryu won a gold medal while Kaz won silver.

We went home, contented at our newfound kinship through sports.

* * *

**A/N: finished!**

**Kindly review, please.**

**Next chap, I'll be taking a leaf from Persona 4.**

**Please, voice your opinions in a review.**


	24. Narda and Birthdays

**A/N: Hey guys… I thought I'd share an A/N before I start the story…**

**Thing is, I might be quitting , so don't be too disappointed if this story never updates **_**ever**_** again, okay?**

**It's just a transitional thing, I do hope you guys understand.**

**Got that? Great.**

* * *

**(10/09/10)**

**Tuesday…**

Today was our rest day, so I spent the rest of the day cleaning around the house.

Well, I realize I haven't properly described our dwelling, so I might as well.

Minako and my home were connected, at least, by walls.

Our houses were a part of a big manor, connected by an aerial catwalk, but they were blocked off by a wall in each wall.

Of course, our part of the house was a bit bigger than Minako's house.

With some work done, I noted that I could visit Minako in the night if I hammered the wall down…

"Minato! Those weeds better be ripped off when I come out!" Leah hissed from inside, "Come on, dude! I don't pay you to daydream!"

"You don't pay me at all!" I cried back, "It's the exact opposite!"

Minako came out of her house.

"Hey bestie." She greeted, "Good morning."

"Hey, good morning too." I said.

She sat down on the grass beside me.

"What are you doing?" she asked, "Digging for gold?"

"Haha, no." I said, "Weeding the garden."

"No way!" she cried.

"W-what?" I said.

"You sell… you know…" she comes closer, "Marijuana?"

"That weed?" I said, "Why would I sell that?"

"Uh… never mind…" she said.

"So… need something?"

"Yeah. Actually, I made this in art class." She threw a small star at me.

"What _is_ this?" I said.

"What do you think?"she said flatly.

"It's a bunch of shells that you turned into a star?"

"No, dummy, it's a wayfinder!" she cried.

"Wayfinder… why, did I lose my way?" I joked.

"Idiot! It's a good luck charm!"

"Thanks." I said, putting it on my necklace.

"I have one just like it! Think of it as a sign of our friendship."

After I weeded the garden, we went back to the house and had a few drinks of juice.

* * *

**(10/14/10)**

**Sunday…**

The week passed and turned to a week end as nothing much happened.

Everyone liked Minako's handmade wayfinder and offered a lot of yen for her to make them one, but she said that only two existed and that if she made more, it wouldn't be special anymore.

Minako and I were walking up the house from a walk.

"Can I come in your room?" she asked.

I was taken aback.

_Minako hadn't been in my room since… the rather ill-fated party._

"Uh… er… sure." I said, "Come right in."

She smiled as we entered the house. We walked upstairs and went to the end of the hall, where my room was.

"After you." I said.

She nodded and turned the antique gilded doorknob, and entered my room.

My room didn't look that different from my old room. The only addition was that it had industrial lighting, a bigger table, four poster bed, lots of posters, a bathroom, a flat screen TV and it was bigger, MUCH bigger than that old closet sized room I had.

On a book case, were some of my most treasured books, including some which I inherited from my parents. Amongst them, were Harry Potter septology, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Percy Jackson and other classics such as Around the World in 80 days, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island and my Gacha-Gacha, _Kashimashi and Pastel _manga.

There was also a small refrigerator and a water dispenser for two reasons, one, since I didn't want Junpei or Minako stealing my food and two, I don't want to go to the kitchen late at night for a bite. Junpei has no problems with that…

Sadly, I learned that the hard way one night, after buying some food, I went down and discovered him having a midnight snack… though, midnight _banquet _would have been more appropriate…

The bay windows kept the room supplied with fresh air and liquid moonlight at night.

There were a few tiles of oaken wood, for putting outside shoes and keeping my bedroom shoes, while the rest of my room was covered in a navy blue shag carpet.

She looked around.

"Nice. Your room looks really neat." She noted, "My room usually is a mess."

I nodded. Her room was clearly visible through the Bay-window, since I saw her bare it all once.

"What's in that room?" she asked, pointing to a cabinet door, "Is that a cabinet?"

"Uh, no." I said, "That's my bathroom door."

She gave me a skeptical look, "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not, open it if you want." I said.

"I'll do just that."

She went in and opened the door.

The bathroom had a short, two and a half meter hall before reaching the actual bathroom that had marble floors, a modern toilet, a grotto-faucet, a bathtub and a heater shower and a small bucket which I wash my underwear in.

"Neat bathroom." She noted, "Is this where you keep your stuff?" she said, opening my medicine cabinet, which was also my mirror.

"Wow… I didn't know you shave…" she noted, "You don't seem to have facial hair, though…"

"Tch… I shave my legs." I said, "Sometimes, I shave my arm pits, but only when it gets wild."

"Oh." She said, "Men aren't suppose to shave their legs!"

She then opens a cabinet.

"That's where I keep my blankets and towels." I said, "What else, you want to look at my toilet to see how it works?" I said sarcastically.

_Of course she took it seriously._

When we got out, she looked at a door beside my window.

"What's in there?" she asked.

"The room where I keep all the bodies of people who snoop around my room." I joked as I leered at her.

_Of course, she took it seriously. Again._

"What the fuck!" she cried, "I knew it!" she tried running away, but I held her, "I'm too young to die!" she cried, "Please! I'm still a virgin!"

"Relax… I'm not going to kill you… nor take your innocence away. That's my closet room."

"You have a closet room?" she said.

"Yeah. You want to take a look?" I said.

"S-sure."

She opens it and was disappointed.

What she was just an ordinary closet with clothes densely packed.

"This is just any other ordinary close."

I give her a push.

"Ack!"

She falls through the closet and reaches the other side of the room and was astounded.

"This is huge…" she said in awe.

"This isn't purely a closet room… it also holds my shoes, my unneeded stuff and acts as a library of sorts." I said as I pass through the clothes, "I call this place Arda."

Also… the wall adjacent to Minako's room, was the walled-in cat walk.

It isn't noticeable, but if you look a lot closer, you'd notice the wall has an inconsistent feel.

She notices it.

"I have a room similar to this… though, I call it Narnia…" she noted, "With the same wall…"

"What do you use your room for?" I asked.

"A mini kitchen." She said simply, "With a fridge, food, stove and stuff."

"Of course it is."

"It's also my library and closet. But there's enough space to make a secret club!"

"Tch… look at this cheap wall…" I noted, pointing to the wall-in dry wall, "I bet if you smash it down with a hammer, we'd be able to use the catwalk to go to each other's house." I said random.

Her eyes brightened up.

"Oh come on! Do you always have to take everything I saw seriously?!"

"Yup!" she said.

Then, I heard a knock on my door.

"Who could that be?" I said.

I went out and I opened the door.

It was Yukari.

"Whoa! Yukari!" I cried, "Uh… What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to visit you, silly!" Yukari said, "Can I come in?" she asked as she pushed the door.

Luckily, the security door chain stopped the door from going all the way.

"Who is it?" Minako asked.

"Wait here." I said to Yukari.

I went to the wardrobe and pushed Minako in.

"EEK!" she cried as I locked the door.

I went back and let Yukari in.

"Sorry." I said, "There was a rat. I killed it."

"I see." She said, looking around the room, "Your room is really neat, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I try keeping it clean… or else Leah would kill me."

"Really…" she said, still looking around.

"Er…" I said.

"Sorry…" she said awkwardly.

"No need. Want to sit down?" I said, mentioning the couch in front of my TV that was also a futon for visitors.

She nodded and we sat down.

"Hey… you're wearing the same star necklace as Minako-chan is…"

"Oh, yeah… she gave it to me."

Another moment of silence.

Minako was looking through the key-hole.

She looked to where I was looking and thankfully, she thought I was looking at the pictures of our friends.

Unfortunately, she thought I was looking at Minako and my picture when we went to Tokyo.

"Er… Minato-kun…" Yukari said.

"Yes?"

_What's going on…?_

"Are you and Minako-chan…?"

_Huh? Where is this going…?_

"…More than just friends?"

_What?!_

"Huh?" I said.

"Huh?!" Minako whispered to herself.

_Yukari's expression, _Minako thought to herself.

Yukari had an expression of pent up anger and jealousy.

"That's not true, is it?"

I had to say it, to protect Minako.

"Yeah…" then, I used all my willpower to shout, "MINAKO WOULD NEVER EVEN GIVE THE TIME OF DAY TO A CLUELESS LOSER LIKE ME!"

Yukari got that message.

_Holy crap… I can't believe I said that about myself, _I said as tears rolled down my cheeks.

Then, without warning, she lunged at me, but her bag-strap, which was strapped to the post of the futon, snaps her back a few inches shy of my face.

"Whoa." I said.

Undeterred by the sudden whiplash, she takes off the strap and begins kissing me.

Usually, when I kissed with her, I saw images of her in my mind, but now, I saw something else.

"M-M-Minak…" I moaned uncontrollably and stopped myself, but Yukari, in the heat of passion, didn't notice it.

"Yukari… MMM… Can we…MMM… Take it… MMM…Slow?" I said.

"No way." She growls and playfully pinches my lip with her lip and pulls it.

"Owwww! I mean, we're not even dating anymore!"

She stops.

"Right… I'm sorry…" she said and picks up her bag, "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable…"

"No… It's ok." I said.

"I'll be leaving now…" she said, going to the door, "I'll see you later."

"G-Good bye! Take care!" I said.

"Bye Minato." She said shyly and walks away.

_**Meanwhile**__…_

_Goddamned Minato,_ Minako though, _Why did he lock me in?!_

Going closer to the door, she peeks through the key hole.

It was big enough for her ruby-colored eyes to peek through.

_Shit… its Yukari…_

She heard bit and bits of their talk.

"Are…. Minako… more than just friends?"

_There! You finally see it now, bitch!_

"Huh?" Minato said.

"Huh?" Minako said.

"That's not true, is it?"

"Yeah…" I felt my world shatter.

Then…

"MINAKO WOULD NEVER, EVER GIVE EVEN THE TIME OF DAY TO A CLUELESS LOSER LIKE ME!" Minato bellowed.

_He's serious? That's not true! I'd give you the time of day and more!_

Then, I looked at Yukari as she lunges at Minato.

I looked away.

To distract myself, I looked around the room.

It was spacious and cool.

It had a small loft at the top of the drawers for sleeping. There were comfortable alcoves for reading.

_Whoever built this house was probably richer than Richie Rich,_ she thought.

She looked at the books and noticed a shelf with intricately carved finger holds at the side.

She gripped it and pulled, and before she knew it, she was looking at small hall filled with weapons.

"Whoa…" she said.

She saw a lot of things…

There was a giant broadsword encrusted with magnificent jewels,

An evil looking (and felt evil,) pair of boxing gloves,

A giant golden hammer with spikes,

A strange gun suitable for a robot,

A dark looking kunai,

And a golden, well balanced bow.

But what really caught her attention was a three-pronged spear.

It was labeled _PINAKA._

It was light as air and well balanced.

She was good with it, finding it strange and exhilarating.

Then, she saw, at the end of the hall, an ebony drawer that stood out from the rest, she looked at it.

It was no ordinary drawer. It permeated Holiness, power and Divine dignity.

It was engraved with small lettering's in gold in several languages.

* * *

_Je vous salue, Deus Xiphos, l'épée du Messie, _

_Maître de la vie, _

_Vainqueur de la mort, _

_Sauveur de l'homme._

_Χαίρε Δεμας Ξίφος, το σπαθί του Μεσσία,_

_κύριος της ζωής, _

_του θανάτου του κατακτητή, _

_και σωτήρα του ανθρώπου._

_Hagel Deus Xiphos, Schwert des Messias, _

_Herr des Lebens, _

_Sieger über den Tod, _

_und Retter des Menschen._

_Salve Deus Xiphos, Spada del Messia, _

_Maestro di vita, _

_Vincitore della morte, _

_Salvatore dell'uomo._

_雹 デウス__Xi__のリン、_

_救世主の剣、_

_人生のマスター、_

_死の征服者と男性の救世主。_

_Ave Deus Xiphos ferro Christi, _

_Vitae magister, _

_Triumphatori mortis _

_et Salvator hominum._

_Ros Deus Xiphos, __Sverd Messias,_

_Herre i ditt liv,_

_Erobrer av død,_

_Og frelser mennesket._

_Радуйся Deus Xiphos, меч Мессии, _

_хозяин жизни, _

_победитель смерти, _

_и спасителем человека._

_Salve Deus Xiphos, la espada del Mesías, _

_Dueño de la vida, _

_Vencedor de la muerte _

_y la salvación del hombre._

* * *

It all translated to the word written at the very bottom:

* * *

_Hail Deus Xiphos, Sword of the Messiah,_

_Master of Life,_

_Conqueror of Death,_

_Savior of Man._

* * *

She opened the cabinet and a blinding light hit her eyes.

When she was able to look, she saw a sword covered by a linen curtain.

_A fencing sword…_

It was on an ebony and ivory headboard was a sleek, shiny silver sword adorned with several egg-shaped rubies at the handle all the way to the hilt, rubies as red as Minako's eyes.

It was a good, well balanced blade with three and a half feet long sharp, silver blade, with a hilt guard resembling a halo with beams of Divine rays of light, it looked like a weapon Saint George would wield.

But she felt a gut intuition that Saint Michael wielded it.

It was engraved _Minato Arisato._ It permeated a brilliant light.

Folded below, was a metallic shirt of silvery cloth.

Minako picked it up.

It was incredibly light, yet it looked strong enough to stop a Rhino, but looked as if it would tear at any moment.

She tried ripping it, but it held fast.

She tried punching it lightly, but it felt as hard as diamonds.

Beside it was a pair of shoes, golden sandals that looked light enough for the Flash to use.

And there was a strange idol.

_Is Minato some sort of devil worshiper?_

_Probably not…_

Minako still looked at the sword.

She reached for it slowly.

"Stop!" Minato's firm voice shouted.

_**A few minutes ago…**_

I quickly unlocked the cabinet door, fumbling with the keys before opening it.

Inside, I noticed my secret door opened.

I ran to it, surprised that Minako opened it.

She was about to touch my Holy Sword… known to disintegrate unworthy people.

I remembered the words of my Persona, Judgment Michael.

_Beware, brave one_, The angel Michael said before I fused him with a nihil rapier, _That those that are purest of hearts and clean of spirit shall be worthy of holding thy sword, Deus Xiphos. Brave one, whomsoever dareth to steal thy sword shalt be destroyed by thine Lord's Holiness._

"STOP!"

Too late, Minako touched the sword.

But she didn't disintegrate.

Even weirder, was that as she held it, a blue, yellow and red light (strange, since only my blue aura had been present before,) radiated from her as the windowless hall flushed with a Heavenly breeze.

I knew immediately what happened.

_Deus Xiphos had named her worthy._

"Give me that!" I grabbed the sword.

I returned Deus Xiphos and locked the cabinet.

"You are never to speak of this place, alright?" I said sternly.

She nods, "Yes."

"Good." I said, "Well, should we smash down the wall?" I said.

Her eyes shined.

I wore the boxing gloves.

She hefted the hammer.

"Geez! This is light!" she notes.

"I know."

"You're crazy if you think that glove could punch a hole in the wall." Minako notes.

"You'd be surprised." I said and punched the wall, making a hole.

"Whoa!" she said, "I'm not giving up!"

She swung the hammer and smashed a giant hole, sending a cloud of drywall flying.

"Watch it!"

But it was no use. Minako was a one-woman wrecking machine.

Within minutes, she hollowed out the cat walk, revealing a musty hall that had a stagnant smell.

I sprayed a few cans of Lysol and Glade, which Leah wouldn't be too happy about.

She wrecked the rest of the wall.

I used a sand belter that Leah had at the basement to smooth out the rough edges.

For the rest of the day, we swept the floor as we laid out some shag carpets we had lying around.

When it was all done, Minako and I had an extended room.

I went in her room, and truly, it was untidy, to be kind.

I then made a small air vent at our secret room, which we decided to call _"Narda",_ so it wouldn't get stuffy and stifling hot.

After that, I went down for dinner.

"Hey, have you seen my cans of air fresheners? I can't find them anywhere." Leah said as we ate.

"No idea." I said, maintaining a pokerface.

* * *

**(10/15/10)**

**Monday…**

We looked at the examination results.

Our results at Classic Literature were pretty high for once, considering Professor Peter was unbiased and very kind to students.

Everyone was surprised.

* * *

**Top ten:**

**1. Arisato, Minako**

**2. Arisato, Minato**

**3. Iori, Junpei**

**4. Iwasaki, Rio**

**5. Lao, Quan Pi**

**6. Lee, Pinky Marie**

**7. Nishiwaki, Yuko**

**8. Takeba, Yukari**

**9. Tomochika, Kenji**

**10. Yamagishi, Fuuka**

* * *

"What the hell?!" Yukari cried, "I'm number 8?!"

Everyone backed away from her.

"Relax, Yukari." I said smoothly.

"No, you relax!" Yukari hissed, "I'm behind Junpei!"

Professor Peter came by.

"What's going on here?" he said.

"Professor, these scores are a farce! It's a disgrace!"

"Relax, Takeba-chan…" He said coolly, "It's a way of showing unbiased results. Mr. Ekoda's tactics were to intimidate students by showing the real score and rank, but we're following an old trick we had at my Alma mater… alphabetical order."

Turning to Junpei now, "Junpei, your essay on the possible inspiration for baseball was magnificent! Your knowledge on it being a pioneer sport is brilliant!"

Junpei beamed with delight.

"Thanks Professor!"

"With some help and a little direction, you could be the next Nicholas Sparks!"

Junpei's eyes became starry at the thought.

Yukari calmed down after I bought her some bon bon.

* * *

**(10/19/10)**

**Friday…**

The week was unusually boring and nothing really happened.

The real fun was Minako and me hanging out at our Narda.

Quite recently, I bought a small TV for our club with my money (my family fortune and money from fighting Shadows.) and we bought Wii and played games.

We had fun at Narda. It was our little world, which no one else knew about.

Today was another boring day at school, these days, only Ms. Toriumi, Mr. Ono and Professor Peter's classes were interesting.

Except today, Yukari was looking at me intensely.

She walked up to me.

"Heeey Minato!" she greeted.

"Hey Yukari. You're pretty happy today."

"I should!" Yukari cried in glee, "You know what's today?"

"Uh… Friday?" I said, "It's Friday! T.G.I.F., right?"

"Yes, and what else?" she said excitedly.

"Uh…I dunno."

"So your thinking about nothing, your mind is totally empty?"

"I'm thinking about food." I said.

She glared at me, "It's my birthday! I'm 18!"

"Oh! Of course you are! I was just teasing you!"

She frowned, but still looked happy.

"Thanks for greeting me!" she hugs me.

"Uh… you're welcome." I said, "I don't have a gift for you though… I'll get you one soon."

"Yay!" she cried.

We had a date at the movies.

I put my arms around Yukari and cuddled with her.

I went home and went to Narda, where Minako was sleeping at the alcove.

I had a wicked idea to wake her up, but she looked really beautiful.

Her closed eyes revealed long, feather duster eye lashes, supple lips and flawless face.

Her hair fell to her face.

I took my iPhone and pictured her a few times.

Then…

"Booo!"

"EEEK!" she cried, smacking the thick _Tolkien Chronology _at my face, sending me to the floor, "Sorry!"

"Ow… you broke my nose!" I said.

"Well, you shouldn't have woken me up!" Minako said.

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out as we ate food in Narda.

* * *

**(10/25/10)**

**Thursday…**

The rest of the week was uneventful, just some Sports Committee duties, Badminton club practices and regular classes.

Also, I had been going to a secret place, meeting with a friend of my cousin's…

But today, I felt as though something special was about to happen.

Mr. Edogawa's class…

"… Now I know that contrary to popular belief, Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, was NOT born in December 25. Why? The passage in which Jesus was born, there were mentions of shepherds in the middle of the wilderness. But considering that the season was winter, it is theoretically impossible for Jesus to be born in the 25th of December. If that's the case, the real date would have been somewhere between March or September."

I remembered what it was.

_It was my birthday exactly last month._

September 25…

Minako was sitting next to me.

"Hey…" I said, "I just remembered that it was my birthday last month…"

"Really?" Minako said, "You forgot your own birthday?"

"Yeah."

"Well I'll be a son of a bitch!" Minako cried, "Why didn't you say something?"

"Uh, I forgot, remember?"

"Don't you care about your birthday?" she said.

"I don't really care much for birthdays…" I muttered, remembering my seventh birthday… alone…

"HEY EVERYONE! IT'S MINATO'S BIRTHDAY!" she cried.

"No it's not!"

Too late now, since everyone was singing me a happy birthday as I sunk lower and lower in my seat.

I was saved by the bell.

I had Yukari's gift and I was excited to show it to her.

We met at the roof.

"Hey! Guess what I just remembered!" Yukari said, "Last month was your birthday!"

"Really? That's cool."

"I even bought you something!" Yukari said.

"Uh… Yukari… I think I made it clear about gifts." I said.

"Nuh uh!" she hands me a brand new wireless blue-and-gold Beats headset with a red and blue yin and yang symbol.

"Oh wow! Yukari! This is just… wow!" I cried.

"Yeah, that took me forever to find." She said.

"Thank you… and, hey, you know what? I got you something too. Close your eyes." I said.

"Awww!" Yukari said, closing her eyes.

I took something from my bag and handed her a pink stuffed rag doll with her likeness.

"Tada!"

Her smile faded, "Uh… what is that?"

"It's a rag doll!" I said, "A rag doll version of you! Made with 100% pure Teddie fur!"

"Okay."

"Belated happy birthday." I said.

Silence.

She scrutinized the doll.

"So, uh… where did you get this doll?" she asked flatly.

"Oh, uh, I had lessons from a kohai of my cousin." I said.

She smirked.

"What, you don't like it or something?"

"No, it's fine…" she said flatly.

"Cool."

"How much do you love your head phones?" she asked.

"Oh my god, are you kidding? I love them." I said, listening to music.

"Oh… see, that's because I always listen to you." she said.

"Yeah, that's why I spent so much time on the doll, I mean, the clothes, the hair and the features…"

She threw it in her bag.

We watched the sun set.

"Hey, quick question, did you ever hear me say that I liked dolls?" Yukari said.

"Huh? Kinda."

"Really. Something made you think I like dolls?" she said.

"Uh, girls like dolls, don't they?"

"Do they? Oh, yeah, right, that's good to know… and maybe the next time your birthday comes around, maybe I can get you a G.I. Joe or something that boys like…" she mutters.

"Okay, you know what Yukari? I CAN TAKE A FUCKING HIT, OKAY?" I shouted, "YOU DON'T LIKE THE DOLL, THEN GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"

"No, no, no! Don't be mad! I like it!" she said, putting her hands up.

"Oh, you like the doll? Good. Cause maybe, this could be our thing." I said.

"Waddya mean?"

"I mean, I can get you dolls for every occasion, like for Christmas and Easter and maybe you can have an entire damn collection!"

"Sure." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"Then let's thank each other for the amazing gifts we got for our birthdays! Especially me for giving you a lifetime supply of dolls!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Of course I hate the doll! What, am I seven years old or something?! I want an adult gift!"

"That's because you keep changing your goddamned mind! If I gave you a set of thongs, you'd be chewing my ass out!" I cried.

"Are you kidding me? I would love a set of thongs! You don't even know me!"

"Just shut up! You don't know how much time and money I spent to get you that fucking doll!" I said.

"No, you shut up! You purposely got me a lame present so you can spite me! You don't care about me!" she said.

"YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME! I WENT TO INABA TO GET LESSONS FROM A JUVENILE DELINQUENT AND PRICKED MY FINGERS SO MANY TIMES! STUFFED THE FUCKING DOLL MYSELF AND MADE IT TO LOOK LIKE YOU AND YOU DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT IT!" I said, crying.

"Are you fake crying?" she said.

"What? No. NO!" I said.

"You're sick!" she said.

"You're sick!" I said.

"Oh my god! We're fighting again…" she said.

"I know… I'm sorry."

"You know what? I love my dolly! I really do!" she said, hugging the doll.

At sundown, we went home together as I tried to deflate what happened.

Minako was chilling in Narda. I wasn't even hanging out downstairs.

Technically, Minako and I lived together.

* * *

**(10/28/10)**

Today was the birthday of my special friend, Minako.

I made her gift already.

I found it strange that I forgot my ex-girlfriend's birthday, but totally remembered Minako's.

We met in Narda.

"Hey bestie!" she greeted.

"Sup." I said, "Happy birthday!" I said, handing her a rag doll that looked like her.

"Oh, wow!" she squealed, "I love it!"

"Yeah, I thought I might give you one." I said.

"Sorry if I don't have any gifts for you…" she said.

"The wayfinder?"

"Oh right!" she said.

"Come by the house, Leah'll cook us up a feast!"

"Sure!" she said.

We went out through my room.

When we went downstairs, Rio, Junpei, Kenji and all our friends were at the living room with the lights off.

"Why are the lights off?" I said.

"AHHHH!" they all shouted in surprise, "SURPRISE!"

"Wow! For me?" Minako said, then joining the guys.

Junpei smacked my head, "You idiot! She was supposed to pass by the front gate!" Junpei hissed, "How the hell did she even get here without passing the gate?"

I kept a straight face, "No idea."

We had a fun day, although, Yukari was glaring at me.

* * *

**(10/29/10)**

We went to school, where everyone was gathered around the bulletin board.

"Make way!" Minako cried.

We saw Professor Peter with Quan.

"Hey, there you are! Come take a look at this!" he said, "I proposed it to the council, saying it would boost popularity within the student body."

We read the poster.

* * *

**_GEKKOUKAN HIGH SCHOOL _**

**_PROUDLY PRESENTS_**

**_CULTURE DAY 2010_**

**_NOVEMBER 2-3_**

**_Events:_**

_Culture exhibits_

_Food and drinks (non alcoholic)_

_Festivities and games_

_Horror rooms and love booths _

_Tarot reading by Madame Elizabeth_

**_Bonus:_**

"_Miss" Gekkoukan Cross Dressing contest (second day, evening)_

_Miss Gekkoukan Beauty Contest (second day, evening)_

_**All proceeds will go to making the astronomy tower.**_

_Thank you._

_-Professor Peter Lao_

_-Miss Isako Toriumi_

_-Mr. Murasama Ono_

_-Mrs. Junkei Terauchi_

_-Ms. Oichi Oyunushi_

_-Mr. Hideyori Edogawa_

_-Mr. Minkichi Takenouha_

_-Mrs. Kimiko Sanada_

"This…" I said breathlessly.

"A beauty contest?!" Minako cried.

"No one can back out... Tour off!" The Professor said to us and left.

I didn't know weather to be happy or to be scared.

* * *

**A/N: See? I told you I would take a leaf from Persona 4!**

**Keep the reviews coming. Make suggestions if you want, since I always take your ideas to heart.**

**Once again, kindly review.**


	25. Preparing for Culture Day

**(10/29/10)**

**Same day…**

Professor Peter, instead of a lesson, discussed the Culture day with Ms. Toriumi.

"And the room with more money than the rest will receive 80% of the profit from their classroom."

"Tch… that's all?" Minako said, "Well, that's disappointing."

"My dear Minako-chan, you'll also get something far more valuable than money!"

"What is it, Prof?" Minako said excitedly, "More money?"

"Bragging rights…" Professor Peter sighed, "You get to brag about your greatness."

"Wouldn't that make us seem big headed?" Minako said, before I clamped my hand in her mouth.

"… So, that's the low down…" Ms. Toriumi said.

"Have any of you chaps heard anything the others might be planning?" Professor said.

"Sensei, I heard the second year's planning a Group Date!" Quan said.

"Indeed?" Professor Peter mused, "Highly intriguing…"

"I heard 1-A would be planning some sort of play…" Junpei said.

"The third year's talked about a Movie room… something or the other." Yukari said.

"We _could_ start a Fight Club…" Lee said hopefully.

"Lee!" someone shouted.

"Hey! Call me when you grow some balls, man!" Lee said.

"Uh, hello? I'm a girl!"

"Sorry." Lee said apologetically.

"Damn…" the Professor said, not shying away from cursing in class, "Looks like we've been stringed out…"

Everyone was silent.

"This is it! We're ruined!" Ms. Toriumi lamented.

"Don't despair, my dear lady." Professor Peter said, "There is always humor within the most desperate situations…"

Then, Junpei raised his hand, "Oh, oh, oh!"

"Yes, Junpei-kun?" Professor Peter said.

"You don't need to ask to go to the bathroom." Ms. Toriumi said.

"No, I just remembered something!" he said, "The… The Culture festival last year!"

"Tch! You're out of your mind, Junpei! It was cancelled last year!" One classmate said.

"No! Remember how we had to clean up the joint?" Junpei said.

"Yeah… I still have splinters in my hands…" Fuuka said, showing her scored hands.

"Oh! Have the nurse look at that!" Professor Peter said.

"Anyway, remember how Minato and Kenji joked around? That was insanely funny!" Junpei said.

Everyone suddenly remembered.

"Did we?" I said.

"Hmmm…" Kenji mused, "Oh yeah… I remember now!"

"That was hilarious! My gut still hurts from those jokes you guys made!" Yukari said.

"Yeah! You guys were a great comedy team!" Yuko said.

"So, we can start a Comedy Club, where the funniest in the class can join! Just like SNL!" Junpei said.

"So, Junpei-kun, let me get this straight… you're suggesting that we start a Comedy Club?" Professor Peter said.

"Yeah."

"Great! For good show of initiative, ten points!" Professor Peter said.

Junpei smiled broadly as everyone patted him in the back.

"It's settled. We get a few jesters to joke around in skits." Professor Peter said, "So all of you better practice!"

We nodded.

We went out and Minako excitedly talked to the girls and whisked them all away.

The boys and I were left.

"Wonder what's got them excited." I said.

"Meh, they probably saw some octopus hotdogs on sale…" Lee said.

"Yeah, we should start thinking about the skits!" Quan said.

We did that and went down, where a crowd was gathered.

"What's going on here?" Junpei said.

The students were talking excitedly.

"*squeal* Arisato-san is heeeere!" a fangirl said.

"Cooool! Quan-kun's here! If I marry him, that'd make Professor-san my dad-in-law!"

"Yay! Kenji-kun is joining!"

"Tch… Junpei is here too… as expected."

A guy looks at us.

"Hey! You guys do us proud, okay?" he said.

We all looked at each other.

"What are you babbling about, brah?" Lee said.

"What the hell…?" Junpei mutters and tears his way into the crowd.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" he bellows.

He runs out with a wild look in his eyes.

"THEY'RE DEAD!" Junpei cried.

"Whoa, hold on, hero, what's up?" Lee said, stopping him.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Quan asked.

"T-Take a look at the bulletin board!" Junpei hissed.

We did, moving people away.

We were turning red when we saw it.

* * *

"_**Miss" Gekkoukan cross dressing pageant**_

_1.) Junpei Iori_

_2.) Kenji Tomochika_

_3.) __Minato Arisato_

_4.) __Lee Jonas Aida_

_5.) Quan Pi Lao_

_6.) Hortez Rama_

_7.) Hideyasu Omura_

**Notes: Up to seven contestants only!**

**They must participate in costume, swimsuit and Q/A.**

**Anyone backing out shall be sent to three months detention (including winter breaks and holidays and Sundays)**

* * *

"Those bitches!" Quan cried.

"Wait, how sure are you that they did it?" I said.

"It HAD to be them!" Junpei cried, "Cato and his goons couldn't have put it here!"

"Rio! Why?!" Kenji moaned.

"What did we ever do to them?!" Lee cried.

"Damn it!" I cried.

All the boys present heaved a sigh of relief. Even though there was one remaining spot, they guarded it closely.

The only one looking sad was Bebe.

"Do us proud, son." A guy behind us said.

"You got balls!" One said, then laughed.

Lee looked at him intently, then punched him in the face.

We had to restrain Lee from his induced bloodlust.

All the guys stormed out of the lobby and marched straight to the rooftop, where we were sure that the girls were laughing their heads off.

I lead the way and when we reached the rooftop, I kicked the door open.

The girls, Minako, Yukari, Rio, Pinky and Fuuka were at the benches.

Minako was laughing her head off, then she saw me and stifled a laugh.

"H-Hey guys!" she said jovially.

"Sup." Rio said.

"Explain yourselves. NOW." I said sternly.

Minako smiled, "Explain what?"

"Don't play dumb!" Junpei cried, "We know you wrote our names in the drag pageant!"

"We did?" Rio said, trying not to laugh.

"You guys are bein' unreasonable!" Lee cried.

I looked at Yukari.

"Hey, don't look at me, I wasn't any part of that." she said.

"N-nor was I!" Fuuka

Quan looked at Pink.

"Pink! How could you?!" he cried.

"H-Hey Quanny, I was involved and I don't deny that, but I didn't write your name…"

"Who then?" Quan demanded, "Speak!"

"Uh… It was Uncle!" she squealed.

"That bastard!" Quan cried, "Stupid selfish son of a bitch!"

"Hey, that's your dad." Rio said.

"Yeah, but right now, he's the asshole who wrote my name on the Miss Gay contest!" Quan cried.

"What's got you guys so uptight?" Minako said, "You could always back out!"

"Are you high on drugs or something?" I shouted, "Even if we wanted to, we couldn't back out! The Professor said that we can't!"

"You can!" Minako insisted, "But you'd have to attend 3 months of detention with no holiday breaks!"

"We can't do that!" I cried.

"Well, if you wanted to, you would quit. But you want to, since you won't quit!"

"That doesn't make any sense!" I cried.

"You little…" Junpei hissed, but I stopped him.

"Junpei… let's have a word with the Professor…"

"But-"

"Come on!" I said and they followed me.

In the hall…

"Dude, you must be nuts if you think I'd go to detention for 3 months!" Junpei cried, "I wouldn't last that long! I'm too soft for the slammer!"

"It don't matter to me." Lee said, "It'll be like stayin' at home. I'll just say I need to use the wash room and I'll head back to the dorm and sleep." Lee shrugs.

"Relax, it's not like we're going to jail… just a little… payback."

"All for one, one for all!" Kenji said, "But what are we doing?"

We were at the lobby.

"Anyone have a pen?" I asked.

No one moved.

"Come on! Not one of you has a pen?!" I shouted.

"Eh… I left mine at my desk…" Junpei said.

"Mines at my locker…" Kenji said.

"Yeah, left mine at the dorm." Lee said.

"Pinky borrowed mine."Quan said.

"Oh for the love of…" I muttered, reaching for my pocket.

Wickedly laughing, since it was blank, I wrote on it.

* * *

_**Miss Gekkoukan Beauty pageant**_

_1.) Minako Arisato _

_2.) Pinky Lee _

_3.) Rio Iwasaki _

_4.) Yukari Takeba _

_5.) Fuuka Yamagishi _

**Note: Contestants may not quit at any time, or else they face immediate detention for 3 months on ALL occasions.**

* * *

"Hey, why is Fuuka-san and Yukari-chan here? I thought they were innocent or something." Lee said.

"No mercy!" Junpei cried, "Poor Fuuka though…"

"Apparently, they haven't thought about this…" I said.

"Hahahaha!" Junpei laughed.

"Wait… lemme add more hotties…" Lee added, borrowing the pen.

* * *

_**Miss Gekkoukan Beauty pageant**_

_1.) Minako Arisato _

_2.) Pinky Lee _

_3.) Rio Iwasaki _

_4.) Yukari Takeba _

_5.) Fuuka Yamagishi _

_6.) Michonne La Monde_

_7.) Yo Duc Tho_

**Note: Contestants may not quit at any time, or else they face immediate detention for 3 months on ALL occasions.**

* * *

"Really? Those chicks?" Kenji said with distaste.

"Yeah. Nothing more sexy than mean girls like those two being forced to parade around in swimsuits." Lee said.

We thought about it.

"Yeah, it is kind of sexy." Kenji agreed.

When Michonne and Yo passed by and saw their names, they looked like they were expecting it.

We went to the lunchroom, much more smug this time.

Then…

_Slam!_

Minako kicked the door open.

**A few minutes ago…**

Minako and the girls were laughing at the trick they pulled.

"Was that genius or what?" Minako said, "They never expected that!"

"Yeah, but I'm a little scared… what if they put our names?" Yukari said.

"Hey, relax, I hid all their pens." Pink said.

"Yeah, but there's a school store 3 meters away from the bulletin board." Fuuka pointed out.

"Ahhh-" Minako said, finally looking stumped, "I haven't thought of that one."

"Of course you haven't…" Yukari rolls her eyes.

"Just calm down, alright?" Minako said.

"Let's see…" Rio said.

They went downstairs and found a large crowd of boys excitedly talking.

"Man! I can't wait to see Yukari-san in action!" a Yukari-fan said, "These days, only Minato-san gets her all to himself… and still have Minako-chan on his harem! Some schmucks get all the luck!"

"I think Fuuka-chan deserves some light!" a Fuuka-fan said, "Her calm disposition is really attractive!"

"No way could that chick compete against Minako!" a Minako-fan voiced his opinion, "Her spunkiness will rule all!"

"Bullshit!" a Rio-fan said, "My girl, Rio, could snap that twig with one hand!"

"Hey!" a Pink-fan said, "Pinky's childish demeanor would beat them all!"

"Make way!" Minako said.

The girls were horrified at what they saw.

_Minato, _she thought angrily.

She knew she had no right to be mad at Minato and should even compliment his wit.

Turning heel, she marched straight for the cafeteria.

She arrives quickly and launches a shattering kick to the door.

Minako and her posse stormed in.

She had some rather sweet things to say to me.

"You. Fucking. Son. Of. A. Bitch." she pronounced those words very slowly.

"What'd we do?" I said innocently.

"You know damned well what I mean!" Minako cried, "Why'd you put us in the beauty contest?!" Minako cried.

"What are you talking about?" I said, "All we did was write the names of our forever girls!"

"Heeey! Why did you write my name?!" Yukari snarled, "I didn't do anything!"

"So did I!" Fuuka cried.

"Guilty by association." Junpei said.

"Shut up!" all the girls said.

"Hey, we join the Miss Gay, and you join the Beauty Pageant, it's a win-win solution… you guys see us in drags and swimsuits while we see you in your underwear, swimsuits, lingerie, casual and sensual clothes."

"That's unfair!" Minako cried.

"Not as unfair as you guys putting our names in the Gay Pageant." Lee said.

Minako and guest took their seats.

"Well, I guess it would be okay to join the Beauty Pageant…" Minako said.

"But some jerks called Minako a twig!" Rio said.

"And I am not a twig! I grow curvaceous every day!" Minako said.

I nodded, "I know…"

My eyes strayed to her Red Wayfinder. I noted it looked identical to my Blue one.

"Hey, eyes up here, buddy." Minako snapped, thinking I was looking at her _bosom_.

"Ah, sorry."

"Listen, the only way we could get out of this mess is if we work together. If we bicker, that'll only make things worse… the next best thing we can do is work together and give them one hell of a show." Lee said philosophically.

All of us stared.

"Lee… that was inspiring." Kenji said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Nah, that was just something I thought of while smoking a joint."

Minako smirked.

"Fine."

And with that, we ate lunch together.

* * *

**(10/30/10)**

**Tuesday…**

Classes were cancelled as a result to preparing for the Culture day.

We spent the day making our set.

Rio and I were in charge with the making of the makeshift backstage, which took up 1/3 of our classroom and Minako and Kenji were in charge with the food and beverages and the rest helped out with the props.

The overseer of the Human resources was Yuko. Yuko ordered most of the Kendo team members in our class to do all the grunt work. Knowing Yuko's strong, rather bossy personality, the seven burly, 5'10 tall Kendo SV members were fearful of the 5'3 tall girl.

Then, Yukari, Fuuka and I plotted the skits. Professor Peter and Ms. Toriumi helped in making the skits.

We spent literally the entire day preparing for Culture day.

* * *

**(10/31/10)**

**Wednesday…**

Today, we rented out some coffee club stools and bar tables, then we rented some costumes for our skits.

Yuko was barking orders for the SV members (and a terrified Quan, Junpei and Lee,) to lug the tables and stools up four flights of stairs.

We replaced the lighting with dim lights, like in a comedy bar.

Rio had her hands full making the set with Professor Peter.

Pink had her dad bring a fog machine, to add mystic charm to the place.

Fuuka rigged the sound system as Yukari decorated the place with pink doilies and cup holders and anything festive. Fuuka also added some plants to be the centerpiece of the table and also to breathe life in the room.

Yukari did a great job; the room now had a mysterious, ambient atmosphere.

Minako and Kenji were in their expertise, making a bar with a long table covered with a cloth and were setting up blenders, microwaves and foods.

I lent them my refrigerator and we filled it to the brim with soda. I also helped manage the work with Yuko.

Also, to maximize profit, we set the entrance to 200 yen per entrance (with limited bathroom breaks,), no outside foods allowed (will quintuple the price if they did bring any,) and seriously overprice the foods and drinks. That was Minako's proposal.

After that, we practiced the skits. Our reputation depended on it.

* * *

**(11/1/10)**

**Thursday…**

Today, Yukari and I decided to spy the others as they worked.

We went to the Freshmen Floor.

Inside, they had set a rather fancy stage that had Greek Drama masks at the top of the stage, with a red velvet curtain.

Yukari held my arm.

"Look… they're doing a play called 'Romeo+Juliet+Hamlet'" Yukari sighed, "Isn't that just romantic?"

"I guess…" I said, "I always wanted to watch a school production of Romeo and Juliet."

"Well, I was thinking…" Yukari began, fumbling with her cellphone.

"Why, you want to watch it with me?"

Her eyes lit up like a firework.

"Really? You'd want to go with me?" Yukari asked.

"Sure. I can't imagine anyone better to go than with you."

Yukari looked as if she was ready to die happy.

"It's a date. After our skit, when we're on break, we'll watch it together. Just you and me."

"No Minako?" Yukari said hopefully.

"Nah, I think we should spend this time together." I said, "Besides, Minako doesn't like plays. Most likely, she'll be over the Tarot stall or something…"

Then, I went to the sophomore's hub with Lee, Kenji and Junpei.

One of the rooms had a Speed Date room, while the other was a Group Date Café.

"Well, looks like they're ready." I said.

"Nah, a 1000 yen says that this'll be a bust." Lee said.

"You're on!" Junpei said, "Things like this would be popular with the dudes."

"D'ja guys think I can score a hot chick?" Kenji said.

We looked at him.

"Are you high or something?" Lee said.

"You already have a hot girlfriend." Junpei said.

"A-And don't you forget it." Kenji said with a smug smile.

Then, two brawny second years came out.

"What are you guys looking at?" one said, "Get your own ideas!"

"What, this failure?" Lee said, "Trust me, no one will follow this toxic shit."

They looked furious.

"What'd you say? You seniors think you're so high and mighty!"

"What did you say?!" Lee said, moving in them.

Kenji, Junpei and I restrained him and we left.

Then, Minako and I went to the Third Year's.

They covered their room with black cloth.

"A movie room and a horror room?" Minako said with distaste, "Sounds totally lame."

"Hey, you'll never know… seen the latest Wrong Turn?" I said.

"Yes. A big piece of bullshit as well. The only thing that'll scare me, is the Wicked Witch from Snow White… damn!" Minako rubbed her arms as she got goose pimples.

We laughed it off as we went to practice the skits.

Tomorrow looked to be a very promising day for us Seniors.

* * *

**A/N: Guys, about my last A/N… Rain check!**

**Haha!**

**I hope you're ready for the next chapter! Unluckily for you, I'll deliberately take two months to update!**

**Please review, my good readers!**


	26. Culture Day 1: Comedy Bar

**A/N: here it goes! The Culture Festival!**

**To be honest, I'm quite anxious about this, so I'm begging the pardon of any who may be offended by the in-chapter jokes.**

**Actually, if you are easily offended, then I urge you to skip this chapter.**

**This chapter includes breaking the fourth wall jokes.**

**If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.**

* * *

**(11/02/10)**

**Friday…**

* * *

The big day finally arrived.

Though we've been practicing for about a few days or so, Professor Peter's guidance and Ms. Toriumi's support helped us a lot.

The guys and I woke up really early to rehearse.

Professor Peter was kind enough to offer us complimentary snacks.

His special made _dim sum _and _lotus dumplings _became our newest favorite, but the _moon cakes _were just delicious.

Though, there was a slight problem.

The guys of the cast, Me, Lee, Junpei, Kenji and Quan had our costumes ready…

Argyll's patterned vests (we love them,), red bow ties and skinny jeans.

Fuuka, Pinky, Rio, Minako and Yukari and the rest of the girls had no costumes at the ready…

The other available girls in our class had their hands full at the admission table.

Yuko was the head of security and wore a shirt labeled **SECURITY **with seven other burly grunts from before.

Then, I received a parcel from someone.

It was written in a really neat hand writing.

* * *

-_**just thought this would come in handy.**_

_**I really hope this would help **_

_**-IceQueen**_

* * *

I opened it.

A smile slowly crept into my face.

I called all the girls.

"Girls… I found something that could help us." I said.

"What is it?" Minako said.

"These." I said, pointing at the box beside me.

The girls craned their necks to look at it.

"What is this?" Minako said, picking up the cloth, "Is this… a _maid's dress?!"_

"Correct!" I said.

"There's no way in hell I'll wear this shit." Minako said, putting it down.

I looked at Yukari, "Yukari? What about you?"

"I'm not wearing this." Yukari said flatly.

"Oh come on! I know you wanted to wear this ever since last year!" I said.

Her eyes flashed, "H-How did you know about that?!" she cried.

I realized that she wasn't privy to me spying on the via command room.

"Never mind."

"I'm still not wearing it though…" Yukari said.

"So am I." Rio said.

"Nor am I." Fuuka said.

"I'll wear it." Pinky said.

Everyone looks at her.

"What?" Pinky said innocently, "This will look cute on us. Besides, the room will get more customers this way."

Rio pursed her lips, "Well… you've got a point."

"What?!" Minako cried.

"It DOES have a frilly blouse…" Yukari admitted, feeling the linen.

"I already wore this, so I wonder what's wrong with wearing it now?" Fuuka said.

Again, we all looked at her.

The girls murmured.

"Well, if I wear this, maybe my boyfriend would like it…"

"It IS cute…"

"I always wanted to try a maids dress before…"

They made a huddle.

One of them went up to me.

"We'll do it."

"To hell with that!" Minako barked.

"Minako… pour la grande gloire."

"What?"

"For the greater glory."

She pursed her lips.

"Fine. But I won't like it… and I won't wear it on the skit!" Minako cried.

"No one asked you to." I said.

Begrudgingly, they shed their clothes and wore the maids dress.

"Also, girls, try to flirt with the guys… they'll buy more stuff at that rate."

The girls mumbled in agreement.

We added the sign.

It read:

* * *

_**Senior year's Comedy Bar.**_

"_**Enjoy quality entertainment, food and drinks at a reasonable price to be served by our beautiful maids."**_

_**Includes free passage in and out for limited times.**_

_**Our beautiful maids will cater to your every need, so what the heck are you waiting for? Shut up, and get inside!**_

_**Disclaimer: Audience will be mocked at certain durations of the show.**_

* * *

The day began after the principal and Mitsuru declared the event open.

Immediately, we had an influx of male students, who paid the outrageous price and all just to look at the girls.

We also had quite a crowd of girls, so much, that we had to remove the rooms dividers just to accommodate them and Yuko shouting at the other grunts to bring in more chairs.

Food and drinks flowed freely as the ladies of our room served drinks.

The boys ordered too much Coke and Sprite, just so the girls could wink at them.

"So, is everyone ready?" Kenji asked from the backstage.

"Yep."

Then, Rio came by.

"Hey, Minato-kun, we'd better start the show."

Kenji's eyes flared.

"R-Rio… You look…" Kenji gulped, "Hot."

Rio winked at him, "Thanks."

As Rio walked away, Kenji shuddered.

Sadly for the boys, the girls were pulled to the bar just as the show was about to begin.

The lighting team killed the lights and shone the limelight at Kenji and me.

"Ahem! Hello, hello! We're the famous comedic duo Kenji and Minato!" Kenji boomed.

"Yep. Believe it or not, we're like many other idiotic comedic duos…" I said.

"Uh, like Han Solo and Chewbacca," Kenji said.

"He's Chewbacca." I said, "Not me."

"That's not true!" Kenji said, pointing a finger at me and showing the crowd his armpit bristling with a wig we hid.

Everyone laughed.

"Let's see… We're like Spongebob and Patrick!" Kenji said.

"Except we're not gay."

*Everyone laughed out loud.*

"Er… Cosmo and Wanda!" Kenji snapped his fingers.

"Except we're not idiots."

*Everyone laughs.*

"Oh come on!" Kenji said.

*again, everyone laughs*

"I can see a bunch of familiar people here…" I said.

"Yeah, I can see Ol' Bebe for an instance, someone, shine the light to Bebe, please." Kenji said.

The light shone at Bebe, who waves sheepishly as he sits down with five other friends.

"Yeah, there he is! Everyone, give Frenchie a hand, folks!" I said.

Everyone cheered for Bebe.

"There we go! He's 100% pure European, folks!" I said, then, Bebe shot me a look of disapproval, "Er, but he's got a heart of a true samurai!" Bebe beams at me.

After the cheering subsided…

"Okay… now, I really can't wait for the Culture day!" Kenji cried.

"It's already started, idiot."

Everyone in the room guffawed.

"Alright everyone! Please enjoy the food and drinks! Tonight's show includes an insult contest, a stand up comedians and many more! So order some more food and drinks, since our lovely maids would appreciate that."I said.

No sooner than that, the men ordered more food and drinks.

I went on a break to find Lee and Junpei indulging himself in the Speed dating.

The speed dating had a fair amount of students in their rooms, as Lee talked to some girls as Junpei looked bored out of his mind.

Chidori is probably the only interesting girl for Junpei.

The Group date café was a bust. No one was there, except six students, two girls and four guys, sitting down with bleak expressions.

Then, I accompanied some lost freshmen to the Comedy Club, where the numbers grew.

After Kenji and I took our break, I went to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Kenji Tomochika!"

Kenji walks up to the stage, waving at everyone.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you!" Kenji cries to the adulating crowd, "It is great to be hosting here in the beautiful Gekkoukan high!"

Everyone roars in applause.

"So... I just had a crazy time last year… I did some romancing... I've watched a new movie out, called "Blood, Sweat, Tears and Baseball"… crazy film, you guys watched it?" the audience cheers.

"Oh. And, also… uh… I've been dumped by my teacher girlfriend, and, two weeks later, she was heading to a one way trip to hell- I mean _Kyoto_ while I still wanted it to work." The audience cheers, "Yeaahhhh! Alright! Don't feel sorry for the sorry sop in the vest! I mean, we've _all_ been there - am I right, _guys_?" Kenji eyes the crowd.

"So, the entire experience made me feel pretty _stupid_, and I was ready to SWEAR off dating, probably for life… But... then... I met an amazing new girl! Well, I already known her years past, and I feel almost embarrassed to say this, but... we were best friends before... I usually _don't_ date my friends, but... how often do you fall in love with the only chick who can beat you up?"

"Scratch that, I can actually make a list of girls who can beat me up, like that Amazon over there," points to Minako.

"But still…" the audience laughs as Kenji beams with pride, "And she is _such_ a sweetheart. And, not that it matters, but she is _pret-ty wealth-y_! At least, in morals,"

The crowd laughs at his cheesiness, "And she wants to know EVERYTHING about me! Even though she grew up with me, she asked about my family, my friends, and, just yesterday, she asked what my Social Security number was! How sweet... is... that!" Kenji minces the words.

"Turns out, she was just a poser. But I still fell in love with her real persona… Rio Iwasaki. Give a round of applause, folks."

Everyone claps as the light shone at Rio, who blushes.

"Now, I know what you're all thinking: "Why is Kenji Tomochika, the ladies man, so damn lucky?" I don't know! I really don't know! And... yesterday was our six-month anniversary, and, I know it's sappy, but, I sent her something I knew she'd love: a mix CD! And some lingerie… my mom never uses it. I doubt she will… it's a hundred times her size…" everyone laughs, "I feel... pretty good about us! And, who knows? Maybe someday you'll be hearing, 'And the Sports Award goes to Rio Tomochika?' so Rio, please know how much I love you, babe."

Everyone claps.

"Alright!" Kenji raises his micro phone.

Everyone cheers.

"ALRIGHT! Gekkoukan high! You're beautiful!"

Everyone gives him a standing ovation.

"My name is Kenji!"

The crowd was roaring.

"And I got GIGANTIC BALLS!"

Total silence.

"Ah… er…"

Rio comes forward as Kenji begins to back away.

"Hey, come back here! I want to talk to you!" Rio cries as they run to the back.

Yukari went forward to diffuse the situation.

"Er… don't worry, folks, that's all part of the script! We have a GREAT show for you tonight. The Arisatos are here! Stick around, we'll be right back!"

Kenji went back with a bruised eye.

"Kenji! That was great!" I said.

"No thanks needed, doc, I know I rule." He said gallantly.

Minako and I took a break.

"Let's try that Tarot witch." Minako suggests, pointing to a mystical looking tent.

"Sure." I said.

She grabs me by the arm and enters the blue tent.

It was small and only had a table and a few stools, but the braziers and incense made the place feel so mystical.

There was also a woman. She was short and draped in blue. She wore a turban that covered her face, but revealed her inquisitive and soulful eyes.

"Pleased to meet you." the lady said, casting a look at me, "My name is Madame Elizabeth."

"Yeah, hi, I want my fortune." Minako snapped.

"And what would you like to know?" Madame Elizabeth asked.

"I see…" Madame Elizabeth said, "Your fortune for today is this…"

Madame Elizabeth makes several outrageous prophecies, about Minako destined for greatness.

Minako actually bought that.

"Thanks," Minako said as we went out. She was star struck.

After some warm ups, we were notified that the crowd grew in size, so we went back.

We drew lots and Junpei chose the shortest lot, so he had to talk to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please give a warm welcome to our very own Junpei Iori!"

Junpei walks in the stage.

**"**Thank you! Thank you! How 'bout those Sox, guys? Any Red Sox fans here?" the audience cheers and screams YES, with some NO's to it.

"Yeah! It's great to here, hosting for you! Who's up for an AMAZING New Year?" the audience cheers, "Who thinks 2011... will be the best year ever?!" the audience cheers, "Who thought 2010 was TOTAL CRAP!" the audience cheers even more loudly,

"Wouldn't want to go through _that _bullshit again, huh?" he laughs maniacally, "What a nightmare! I'm just looking forward to getting out of this dump, that's what I'm doing!" crowd cheers approvingly, "I've always been a very positive person. Except when I'm angry, or depressed, or hungry. Then I can be a real handful. But, tonight, I'm seeing the beauty in everything I see!"

Junpei goes down from the stage and stares at a couple.

"Like, right here in front of me - I'm looking at two of _**the**_ most biggest breasts I've ever laid eyes on!" Junpei says as he gawks at a member of the audience.

"Congratulations, Sir!" Junpei shakes his hand.

The crowd guffaws with laughter as Junpei clowns around.

"Thank you, Junpei! Thank you!" the guy said.

"Nada problem! No problem at all! See, THAT'S the kind of positive energy I'm talking about, when I'm doing my monologue..."

The audience cheers, "Especially considering it's the very first show of the Senior year! Dead birds are falling from the sky because of us! This year will be off the hook! Do you feel me?!"

The crowd goes wild, "Some people say that one day you could be hit by a bus and you need to live life to the fullest. I say: bullshit. Life is long. You're probably _**not **_going to be hit by a bus._ Yes_, sir! I'm bullish on the facts of life, sue me, When life hands you lemons... you make booze! Or so my old man says…"

The crowd laughs, "When everybody around you bursts into flames, it's time for roasted wieners! [the crowd laughs] When the Earth opens up... so will _baseball parks_! [more applause] And when I see a sea of blood... I go canoeing, buster! [the crowd goes ballistic] But I _would_ wear a condom or something. It is blood, after all… don't want to get the clap or any nasty disease."

The crowd laughs.

Junpei tosses his head.

"So let's celebrate this Culture Day TOGETHER! Let's make this moment precious! 'Cause, to put it this way - it's all we got. Ain't no mumbo jumbo, we're not gonna be having much of a Culture Day next year. At least, we aren't." Junpei looks into the audience and sees a girl from the third year, "How you doing, Ma'am?" He steps toward her, "Good, yeah? You doing well tonight? What's your name?"

"Kagome." She said sheepishly.

"Kagome-chan… Kagome-chan, do you want to make this moment here tonight, Kagome, really count?" Junpei asked.

"Oh, do I!" Kagome said eagerly.

Junpei knelt down, "Marry me, Kagome-chan. Marry me, and make me the happiest man in the world."

Everyone smiles and began murmuring.

"Shh! Shut up!" Junpei holds his finger to her lips, making people laugh at his antics, "Just let say my case. First of all... I'm Junpei Iori. And you know what that means… Caviar wishes and diamond dreams, baby, big bucks! Big bucks! I don't play the celeb card, but where I'm from, I'm real famous. 'Cause, you know. And if you get _pregnant_, well, it's all over! So... what's it gonna be, Kagome? Please! Please say yes!"

Kagome shyly shakes her head.

Junpei purses his lip, "Kagome…"

"Back off!" his silver haired, wolfish boyfriend said.

"Okay. Kagome - alright. Well, I guess I'm going to have to wait, aren't I?" she nods, "Okay!" he looks across the aisle, "Come on, dude!"

Junpei looks at the tables and sees a guy.

"What's your name?" Junpei asked.

"Rinori."

"Rinori…" Junpei turns to the crowd, "This is Rinori, my new life partner!"

Rinori makes a thumbs up sign.

"Thanks for _nothing_, Kagome! We'll see you! We're gonna go backstage now - we're gonna consummate."

Junpei runs away before Rinori could follow, leaving the crowd in stitches.

"Great job, Junpei!" Minako said.

"Thanks. Your turn, Minato."

"You know what to say?" Yukari asked me.

"Sure do." I said with a smile.

I stepped to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Minato Arisato!"

I stepped into the stage.

Everyone applauded.

"Thank you! Thank you, guys." I said.

"Thank you so much. It's great to be hosting this Culture Day..." I said, "You know, I, uh, remember when Gekkoukan first opened. I was about 6 at the time. And I said to the other orphans, 'Just you wait - one day, I'm going to host a Culture day comedy show someday.' And they said, 'Wow! You're going to be a comedian or something?' And I said, "No - I'm going to be a vampire."

Everyone laughs.

"It's been a really cool year for me. I was bought a game called "Persona 3: FES"… I named the character after myself… The game was suspiciously alike to this world… I also took my shirt off a lot whenever I was equipped with a Blue Swimming shorts." the teenage girls in the audience wolf whistled, "Too much, in fact. Even Akihiko Sanada told me to cool it. You know, we got a problem. A BIG problem."

Everyone laughs.

"Now, before we start with the rest of the show, there are a lot of rumors out there about me being romantically linked to a certain class cutie?" I said.

The crowd screams with glee.

"And I wanted to take a moment to address that: Minako and I are just friends."

The crowd made a disappointed sound.

The limelight shone at Minako, who nods and wink at me.

"With benefits, of course!" I chuckled, "Not that we're FuBus or anything…"

The crowd made an incredulous looks,

"I've also became closer with an archer named Yukari Takeba." The audience erupts in teasing, "You know, I was actually at the bathroom in the gym, don't ask, when the sex scandal leaked… here…"

I clicked a remote and everyone looked at the projector. It was the CCTV video.

"_All right!" Cato said in the video, "I promised to hook you up! And I will. Just go to Romano Industries and call Aoi… she'll make an appointment for you." _

"_How did you do it? I'm not leaving until you tell me so." I said._

"_Okay, I used a special program, made a digital copy of your head, went to ***.com and took a porn flick and pasted your heads there." Cato said._

"_And do you admit you did it?" _

"_Fine, yes, I did do it… I did it, and I paid a lot of money for Old Ekoda to get you expelled… Christ, Minato, I'm trying to snort this thing so my damn nose won't drip like a faucet! Get out!"_

Arrows point at me in the background, nonchalantly keeping my eyes turned from Cato as I pressed a recorder.

"_And do you admit you did it?" the recorder said._

"_Fine, yes, I did do it… I did it, and I paid a lot of money for Old Ekoda to get you expelled."_ _He_ _stormed out of his stall._

"_What the hell is this?!" he cried._

"_This…" I gestured the recorder, "It's our ticket back to Gekkoukan High."_

"_Give me that!" he reached for it and I sidestepped and pinned him on the wall all in a fluid move._

The record ends.

"Aw! Kick his ass!" a guy in the audience said.

The audience murmurs in realization.

I turned to the audience.

"I know. I mean, I guess I could have done a _little_ more than wear a wire. But what I _really_ wanted to do that night... was _this_." I waved for the grunts to take a mannequin of Cato, Yukari and Minako.

I flexed my arms.

The girls applauded while the guys sulked, ordering more butterbeer.

I do a _Parkour_ somersault and land in front of Yukari and Minako.

The audience gasped.

"Girls! What seems to be the problem here?"

"That guy was MEAN to me!" Yukari's voice-over said.

"Yeah! He made a fake sex video of us! Punch him in the face, dude!" Minako's voice urged.

"Kick his ass!" a heckler shouted.

"Stand aside, girls - I'll handle this." I said.

I crossed over to the Cato mannequin.

"Hey you! I said, hey! That's right, I'm talking to _you_! Not so tough now, are you, Cato? It just so happens... you messed with the _wrong_ pretty girls."

"Oh, really now?" a pompous voice said.

"You're gonna get it..." I strike a few Muay Thai poses, did a handstand and another somersault, "Bat' leth!"  
A star trek sword was thrown to me, which I caught.

The comic book nerds shouted with joy.

"A man after my heart!" a nerd girl said.

"Uh oh…" Cato's mannequin said.

I strike a few more karate poses, then makes two attempts to jump-kick Cato in the head. I didn't succeed, so I was satisfied with sweeping it at his neck, decapitating the mannequin, catching the head with one hand.

The crowd went wild.

"I'm real sorry! I'm sorry, Cato. I didn't mean to cut your head off there." I said sarcastically, "What? You think I'm your daddy?"

"Yes." The robotic voice said.

"Well get one thing straight… Minato Arisato is back!" I said as I threw his head to the crowd, the nerd girl caught it.

The crowd roars in agreement.

I went to the mannequin of the girls.

"You are the _bravest_ man I've ever known!" the two mannequins said.

"Thank you." I said, kissing the two mannequins, "I'm sorry! I can't! My heart belongs to someone else.

The audience gasped.

I turn to the real Minako and Yukari.

"Hey Minako… hey Yukari…" I said, blowing them a kiss, "Thank you guys! We got a great show for you today! Stick around!"

The crowd gave me a standing ovation.

Yukari was serving food when I whisked her away.

"Where are we going?" she said.

Her voice had a combination of both anxiety and excitement.

"To the play!" I cried.

I took her to the first year room, where they had a play.

"A play? By the freshmen?" Yukari said.

The play irritatingly resembled OUR story… but in the end, the guy didn't die and the final part being that the MC meets a red haired girl.

Then, we were on our way back…

"A tent?" Yukari said.

I looked and saw another velvety blue tent.

"_Madame Margaret's tarot tent?"_ Yukari said incredulously, "People actually believe this crap enough for two tents to be here at the same time?!"

A silky chuckle emanated from the tent, "Hahaha… you are a confident one."

Yukari smirked, "Hmmm… maybe you're good… but…" Yukari bites her lip, "Ya want to challenge me? I bet you'll lose!"

"Haha… overestimating your true worth will only lead to your downfall, miss."

"Tch… I accept your challenge!" Yukari cries, "If I win, which I will, then I'll burn your tent down,

"The subject of this challenge is Minato's relationship with the girls."

"Haha… if that is the challenge, then this will work to my favor."

"What does that even mean?" Yukari said.

"L-Let's not go there!" I said, pulling Yukari away.

After another break, in which Yukari and I watched a movie at one of the rooms, I went back to find the place nearly crowded.

I called Minako.

"Ready for your turn?" I asked.

She looked nervous.

"Yeah… I guess…"

"Remember to sing it, so you'll remember it faster." I said.

She walks halfway to the stage.

"Wish me luck." She said.

"You don't need it." I said.

She walks to the stage.

She doesn't make a sound as the crowd looks nervously.

"Er… Uh…" Minako stammered, "You guys know what's the similarity between blondes and chicken coops? They always have a cock in them!"

Scattered laughter.

"Uh…" Minako turned red, then she threw the microphone down.

"Anyone have a guitar?" she said boldly.

Someone hands her one.

"Being here, I'm really nervous, and so a good friend of mine suggested I make up a song about it, so here it goes… it's called the Dialogue song…"

She tunes the guitar.

* * *

"_I like Froot Loops and sparkling soda, _

_But I'm not gonna say that… in my dialogue._

_I like eating and things that tastes like Autumn, _

_But I'm not talking about that… in my dialogue._

_Da da da_

_Da da da da_

_I like writing the names of jerks who piss me off and burning that piece of paper,_

_But I'm not gonna say anything… in my dialogue _

_I like writing mean things about them on Facebook, so they're embarrassed to go out in public,_

_But I'm not gonna mention that… in my dialogue._

_Da da da_

_Da da da da_

_You might think I'd bring up Cato, the guy who was beaten up by Mina-to …_

_But I'm not mentioning him, in my dialogue,_

_Hey Cato, we're doing real well! We're hosting a comedy show!_

_Da da da_

_Ha ha ha_

_Ha ha ha_

_Da da da da_

_And if you're wondering if I might be dating a blue haired guy…_

_[Minako blows a kiss at me]_

_But no comment on that… in my dialogue._

_Da da da_

_Da da da da_

_This is my Cultural dialogue._

_You might be expecting me to say… something bad 'bout Cato…_

_And how he walked up to the office and ruined our BM club dialogue…_

_[*sighs*]_

_But there's nothing more to say, because everything's OK,_

_We've got security on the lining the place!_

_This is my Cultural dialogue._

_Da da _

_Da da da _

_This is my Cultural dialogue._

_Da da _

_Da da da _

_That was… my Cultural dialogue."_

* * *

The crowd explodes in applause.

Some boys threw roses at the stage.

Minako bows and goes to the backstage.

"Good job! Where did you come up with that?" I asked her.

"I didn't. I got the idea from this show called-" Minako began.

Then, Yuko appeared.

"Guys!" Yuko cried, "The audience demands an encore!"

"Also…" Kenji said beside her, "Sales have been sky high!"

"Well, looks like you'll have another go, Minako." I said.

"No!" Yukari cried, "I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" I said.

"Very." Yukari said as she glares at Minako.

"If Minako can do it, so can I."

Yukari walks up to the stage.

The crowd grew silent. They weren't expecting Yukari to go up.

"Hello." Yukari said, "Now, I know you want Minako, but she's resting her larynx…"

"No I'm not!" Minako shouts from the backstage.

"This song's for all the ladies out there. It's about the moment when your fellow comes through the door on your birthday, and you see that strange look in his face - you know the one I mean!"

She drew a deep breath and takes the guitar and began to sing a song.

* * *

_"It's October, the day's nineteen,__  
__But from the look on your face__  
__You don't know what it means._

_Don't even try it, don't even deny it,__  
__You forgot it was my Birthday..._

_You tried to scramble and whip something up__  
__But your balloons say "Happy Bar Mitzvah"__  
__Your card says "My condolences."__  
__There's no mistaking it, don't bother faking it,__  
__You forgot it was my Birthday._

_I bought you an earphone,__  
__And bought you some bon-bons,__  
__And put on some nice lingerie,__  
__You gave me your Mp3,__  
__And the cash in your pockets,__  
__And a copy of New York Times,_

_"__And it wasn't even from today - it was from an old motel!__  
_

_"You said you made plans, but it didn't seem right,__  
__When we went to the Blue Palm at 8:00 at night,__  
__Your reservation should be in quotations__  
__You forgot about my Birthday.__I know I'm angry__  
__But later, I'll be fine__  
__You're just an idiot, You may be a dope,__  
__But at least you're mine.__  
__And you can bet your ass I'll never let you forget__  
__When you forgot about my Birthday."_

The crowd roars just as loud as they did for Minako.

Then, our rudimentary curtains went down.

We all reassembled behind it.

Then, it opened.

"We'd like to thank the Professor, Ms. Toriumi and Mitsuru-san for allowing this club to open, thanks to our security team, our bar maids and of course, you, our audience for making this worthwhile!" I said.

"Come back next year!" Quan urged.

"You idiot! We graduate this year!" Lee said.

The crowd laughs.

"Thanks for coming!"

The crowd groans, but they all left.

After we cleaned up, we counted our money.

"Holy crap… we made that much on student entrances alone?!" Minako cried.

"Plus the food and drinks…" Yuko muttered as she did the math.

"Add it all…" Quan muttered, "Equals to this amount." Quan points to the paper.

We all stood there dumbstruck.

"That's WAAAY too many zeroes!" Minako cried.

We divided it up, most of the money going to the comedians, since we won.

"I'm glad about this day." Quan said.

Everyone agreed.

"But I'm real excited for tomorrow!" a guy said.

The gang groaned.

It was a double edged sword, after all.

We were curious ourselves about what would happen tomorrow…

* * *

**Author's notes: You guys really didn't think I'd take two months to update, right? What author does that?**

**Anyway, I hope you guys are excited with the next chapter!**

**I took some snippets of my favorite skits, since I'm no comic.**

**As always, please review.**


	27. Culture Day 2: Cross Dressing Pageant

_**A/N: This chapter may contain slightly offensive homosexual jokes.**_

_**If you are either sensitive or easily offended, then be forewarned.**_

_**Also, for ardent P4 fans, you'll notice something with their costumes in the cross dressing competition… a little Easter egg for die-hard Persona fans (like me.)**_

* * *

**(11/02/10)**

**Same day…**

After we returned for the night, Minako sent me a box of her girlie clothes for tomorrow.

Since I was miffed and sort of annoyed, I threw it in one corner.

* * *

**(11/03/10)**

**Saturday…**

Today I got up and left for school after breakfast with Leah, Junpei and Akihiko.

Junpei and I exchanged grim looks as Akihiko and Leah chatted loudly.

I ate fast, since I wanted to ditch the drag clothes.

Junpei followed and we ran out together.

Luckily, Minako saw us and gave chase, not bothering to check if I had my clothes.

We lost her in the train, but she found me as I walked to the high school.

Minako finally caught up with us.

"Why the hell were you two running away?" Minako asked as she greedily sipped a coconut flavored shake.

"We were in a hurry." I said quickly.

"Riiiight…" Junpei said.

"I'll wait here for Leah-nee." Minako said.

"Sure."

Then, we managed to go into the classroom, where it was made into our makeshift rooms.

Lee was already there with Quan.

Inside, was Pinky and Yukari. They blocked the view of Lee.

"And like… this." Yukari said.

"*squeal* He's so cute!" Pinky squealed.

"Hey guys!" Lee said.

"Lee! You finally stopped wearing that army jacket of your-" I stopped, "WHAT are you wearing?"

Lee was wearing a transparent leotard, a chest-revealing cotton shirt and an ascot.

"Dude… nice ascot!" Junpei said.

"Thanks." Lee said.

"Whoa, what's with the pink Speedo?" I said.

"Oh, uh…" Lee blushed, "Well, Pinky-chan and Yukari-san recommended the color pink for the swimsuit competition."

"Because only REAL MEN wear pink!" Yukari cried.

"And only REAL WOMEN are called Pink!" Pink cried.

"I didn't know there was a swimsuit competition!" Junpei cried.

"I know." Lee said, "But evidently, there is."

"Really now?" I said.

"Anyway, I need to check myself out." And with that, he went behind the dividers.

Junpei and I chatted and Minako called us.

"Leah-nee wants to see you guys." Minako said.

Leah was outside.

"Hey nee." I said.

"Sup Lea-nee?" Junpei said.

"Hey guys!" Leah said, "I packed you some lunch!"

She hands us two large paper bags.

"That's funny. What happened to my bento box?" I asked.

"I… uh, had to clean it."

"Sweet!" Junpei said, "Finally, I get the lion's share."

"I want to fatten you guys up! I want you to win the cross dressing competition!" Leah cried.

"Luckily for us," Junpei smirked, "I forgot my stuff."

"So did I." I said smartly, "Which means, the contest is off."

"Au contraire." Leah said.

"Eh? Whatever man..." Junpei said as he dug his hands in the bag.

He fished out a black thong, a few dresses and a wig.

I fished out mine and I got a blue wig and a few girlie clothes.

"This isn't our lunch!" Junpei cried.

"Or is it?" Minako said, "If you guys wear that, you'll turn to fruit cakes!" Minako cried.

Everyone in the hall laughed at us.

"What's going on here?" Lee said from inside the room as he held a bag of popcorn.

Immediately as they made eye contact, the air began to compact and distort as the bag popped.

He went back inside.

"Go in and get dressed, I need to find Aki." Leah said and left.

"Great…" Junpei muttered.

We went in with Minako.

Lee was already out, still wearing the clothes he wore.

"I look dashing." He said, "Reminds me of the cross dressing contest we had back in the army… that was a fun night."

"Are you gay or something?" Minako asked.

"Well, it increases morale, so we cross dressed. Nothing gay about that." Lee said.

"Oh, yeah, it is damn gay," Minako said, "You fairy."

"Fairy?!" Lee fumed.

Then, a rather nervous-looking Fuuka went in with a bowl of steaming soup.

"Lee-san…" She knelt in front of Lee.

Lee, looking flustered and confused, helped her up.

"Lee-dono." Fuuka said shakily, "I don't have anything to precious to help you with, nor can I take your place in the contest, but I wish you all the luck in the world with this special soup I made… I made it with love and luck." She said as she sheepishly handed him a steaming bowl of delicious smelling (and looking,) soup.

Lee took it slowly, looked at it as if it were a bright gem, then he started to sob.

"Ah, stop your sniveling, this isn't a funeral!" Minako scowled.

"How can you be so cold hearted?" Lee said hotly, setting the bowl carefully on a table.

"What was that? Talking back to me now, eh?" Minako snarled, "You may have killed people before, but you're still a fairy!" Minako hissed.

Lee immediately runs to his chair and breaks down.

"*sob* …is it such a crime to serve your country?!" Lee wept.

Minako giggled playfully.

"Once a fairy, always a fairy!" Minako pointed a finger as she walked slowly to him, "Look at you! And what the hell is with the pink underwear? Is it so the other guys can see your ass at night? Why don't you just wear a diaper for Christ's sake?!"

Lee runs away from Minako and cries in Junpei's arms.

Yukari stepped forward.

"What's wrong with pink underwear?" Yukari shouted, "Where were you when your country needed you? If it wasn't for guys like him, you'd be in Ground Zero!" Yukari said hotly.

"Oh, shut it, Takeba." Minako said.

"Be reasonable!" Yukari cried.

"I'll be reasonable with you! You each owe me my share of the money from the Culture festival! Pay up or die!"

"Tch… don't worry, I'll pay for it!" Yukari said.

"Think you're a smart-ass, Drakon-Lady?" Minako snarled.

"What's it to you, you red-haired sociopath!"

"Bitch!"

They started to argue.

"There's nothing wrong with being gay!" Yukari said.

"I'm not gay!" Lee piped, "I'm just metrosexual!"

"Shut up everyone!" I said, "Can't we all just wear our drag costumes without a goddamned fight? This is going to be bad enough without you two fighting!"

We all quieted down.

"I'm sorry, Lee." Minako muttered.

Lee wasn't listening as he drank his soup with delight.

The rest of the girls and Kenji and Quan, entered the room.

"Let's start now?" I said.

Immediately, about four of them grabbed me.

"Ooooh! Try some Givenchy on him!" Rio said.

"Yeah!"

"Number 5?"

"No, no, try Number 91."

"Just dress me up already! No delays!" I said, "Er… except with the Givenchy thing, if you think it'd work."

Seven girls kissed me in the cheek.

"Clothes, accessories or perfume?" Yuiri asked.

"All!" Pinky cried, "I'll do the makeup!"

"And then we can dress them in Victoria's Secret clothes!" Yukari suggested.

"No way! That stuff is too lacy! Try some Forever 21 first!" Minako cried.

After 40 minutes, I came out looking like a clown.

"This won't work!" I said, "Not unless I'm joining a clown contest!"

"Hey! That's just mean!" Pinky sniffed.

The remade me and it took the rest of the day for them to prepare us.

As we were smothered by girls, Junpei was beside me.

"Ugh…" Junpei choked as he inhaled expensive perfume, "M-Minato… h-hold my hand…"

I clasped his hand.

"Minato… I have to say something…" Junpei gasped as he inhaled a mixture of Victoria's Secret and Givenchy #496.

"What… is it?"

"I've always admired you, man… You're a leader… a visionary…" Junpei squeezed my hand. "Remember me when you reach the top…"

"Can it, Junpei… you're full of shit…" I gasped.

Then, after an eternity, we emerged.

I had extensions to my hair reaching my hip and I wore a long pink tank top-like shirt that reached my thighs and I had my eye lashes curled.

They also applied lipstick and makeup.

"*gasp*" the girls gasped.

"What?" I said.

"Holy crap!" Minako said, "Everyone! Presenting! Minato-chan!" Minako exclaimed.

All the girls excitedly flocked me.

They were hugging me.

"Wait!" Minako cried as she went to me, "Try this on."

She put a blue Detective's hat on my head.

"Sweet hat." I noted.

"Right? Doesn't Minato look like that Detective Prince?" Minako said.

"Prince? From what I heard, 'he' is a 'she'." a girl said.

"What is this? Hot Chick? That stuff doesn't happen in real life!" Yukari said.

"Let's just agree that Minato is a cute girl." Pinky said.

Everyone muttered in agreement.

"H-How about me?" Junpei said skittishly.

I looked at him and I was surprised.

"Yikes!" Lee shouted from the side of the door as he went back inside in a huff.

Junpei wore a red sweater-jacket with a skirt and a yellow scarf and he had a silky, jet black wig over his usually buzz-cut hair and (thankfully,) black leggings that covered his jungle-thick hairy legs.

It was topped with a red head-band.

He looked totally strange.

"Ewww!" All the girls screamed.

"Hey!" Junpei said, "I look fabulous!"

"One thing though…" Yukari said, "You need to get rid of the goatee."

"I will certainly not!" Junpei protested.

"Look… Lose the goatee or else." Yukari glared at him.

"No way! Do what you want to me, but no one touches my goatee."

"Hmmm…" Minako said, "There's one thing that'll make you look 10 years younger."

"What?" Junpei asked excitedly.

"Duct tape." Minako said.

"Duct tape? Okay!" Junpei said, "We've got some left over from yesterday!" he hands a roll to Minako.

"Okay… here we go…" Minako rips a strip and puts it in Junpei's face.

"One… two… THREE!" She savagely rips out the duct tape from Junpei's chin, revealing the strip with bristly hair.

"OWWWW!" Junpei howls in pain as he clasps his bald chin.

"There we go!" Minako exclaims.

Lee came out.

He wore a long sleeved turtle neck sweater with a short pink vest and had a wig of golden-brown girlish pigtails.

"How do I look?" he said shyly.

He looked oddly young, for the eldest in our group.

"What about me?" Kenji squeaked from a corner as Rio stood behind him.

He had his usually medium-length hair in a sleek bowl-cut as he wore a wool-patterned skirt and a sporty green high collared jacket adorned with several aluminum badges.

He had lipstick and high-knee socks on.

"And me?" Quan said.

Among the 'girls', Quan looked pretty.

Risette fans led by Pinky, grieved at the starlet's hiatus, fashioned Quan in her likeness.

He wore a white turtleneck with a red V-neck shirt and a black skirt with black jeggings.

He had a high wig of red hair and he was powdered with makeup and lipstick.

He did the Risette pose: legs apart with his hands behind him.

"Here's Risette!" Quan said in his best impression of Risette.

All the girls clapped and some boys _actually _thought Quan was Risette.

"Tch… Risette…" Minako muttered, "That little twig wouldn't last a second in the _real_ world!"

"Why do you hate her? You sound just like her." Yukari said.

"I SOOO do not!" Minako said.

"You might have the same voice actors or something…" Junpei joked.

"Don't joke about that, Iori!" Minako snarled, "That's so not funny."

"Hey, Laura Bailey is the most golden voiced in the entire dang industry, along with Tara Platt!"

"I know that! She's the greatest!" Minako snarled, "Tara Platt included!"

Junpei piped down.

A few guys was looking at me intently.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a drag queen before?!" Lee shouted.

The ran off.

We went to the auditorium, where the contest was about to start.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! We now begin the second day of our annual Culture Festival with the ever-popular Cross dressing competition!"

After the usual hoo-ha, the MC, a guy who had gingery orange hair, announced the judges.

"Our first judge is a graduate from Harvard University, magna cum laude, a fellow Professor in Cambridge University and a master poet, Professor Peter Lao!"

Professor Peter stood up and bowed curtly.

"Our next judge is our very own Headmistress Mitsuru Kirijo."

Mitsuru stood up and nodded sternly.

"Our next judge is the boxing champion of Iwatodai: Akihiko Sanada!"

Akihiko stood up as his old fangirls cheered for him.

"Our guest-judge is a soldier from Libya, Leah Otsuji."

Many guys looked dreamily at her as Leah stood up and winked.

Junpei's jaw dropped.

"Okay! The moment you've all been waiting for… the "Miss" Gekkoukan High pagent!"

Everyone cheered.

"Our first contestant is a feminine beauty that attracts both genders with his androgynous appeal, from the fourth year, class 3-D, Minata-chan!"

I came out and blushed unintentionally as I put my hands in an awkward knot.

"H-Hello everyone!" I said.

Everyone cheered.

"Ohhhh!" a freshman girl said, "He's so cute!"

"He looks like an uke from a yaoi mag I read…"

"Oh man! There's the winner!"

"Now, Minata-chan, what would you say is your best feature?" the MC asked.

"Uh… My legs?" I said awkwardly.

Everyone roared.

"That's right folks! Minata-chan's ivory legs can tempt even the most experienced elephant poachers!" the MC said, "Now, I don't know how anyone can win at this point, but our second contestant is a class clown who just can't seem to stop fooling around, from the same class, Junkei-chan!"

Junpei comes out and does a sexy pose.

Everyone was repulsed.

"Gross!"

"AHHH! MY EYES!"

"I think I just got cancer from looking…"

"Hmph!" Junpei huffed.

"Now, do you always wear girls clothes?" the MC asked.

"Yes…" Junpei said, not paying attention, "I mean NO!" Junpei cried after he realizes that everyone became quiet.

Everyone howled with laughter.

"Our third contestant is another student from 3-D, a war-mongering maniac who kills people for less… in the army, Lee-chan!"

Lee comes out and winks at everyone.

The students didn't know how to react.

"Now, don't shoot me to death if I ask, but were you excited about joining?"

"Hell yeah." Lee said bravely.

We all looked at him.

"Whoa… brave guy."

"He's got guts."

"Fairy…" Minako muttered.

"Our fourth contestant is a Risette-fan, the son of the Professor who made all of this possible, Quanna-chan!"

Quan came out and did the Risette pose.

All the boys looked awed.

"Holy crap! Quan looks hot!"

"Is that Risette?"

"Damn…"

Professor Peter stood up and clapped.

"That's my girl!"

Quan made a fist at his dad.

"Our fifth contestant is yet another class clown, a less than sporty, Kenja-chan."

Kenji came out and the sports teams stamped their feet.

"Hello!" Kenji said in his girly voice.

"Yum yum…" Rio said sadly.

"Looks like your entrance caused quite a stir! Tell me, did you sign yourself up?"

"Uh… Not exactly…" Kenji said, "The love of my life did that for me."

Rio blushed.

"The next contestant is a hot blooded native of Japan, Hideyasu-chan!"

Hide came out wearing a modern dancer's outfit.

A few people muttered.

"Are you here to dance?" The MC asked.

Hide breathed through the mic, "No."

"Er… sorry." The MC said, "Uh, moving on! Our final contender is an Egyptian national who thought it'd be smart to move from his desert into this icy land, Hortez-chan!"

Hortez went out and did a ballerina spin as he wore a pale pink ballerina cosutume.

The audience erupted in laughter.

"I take it that you were interested in joining?" the MC asked.

"Duh, no." Hortez said, "Master Cato let me join fer free!"

Everyone chuckled nervously.

Then…

"The votes have been collected! And our winner is… Minato-chan!"

I buried my face in my hands.

"Congratulations…" the MC said, "Stick around folks, the second part will be coming soon! And this time, there'll be actual beauties in that competition! Your reward, Minato-chan, will be a position as honorary judge."

"Lucky me." I mutter.

After we walked down, we immediately ripped off our clothes and walked back to the room in our underwear.

Most of the guys stared at us.

"What the hell are you assholes looking at?!" Lee barked, "Want to be raped in the ass?!"

The guys looked away.

I smiled because for a moment later, the girls would be at my mercy.

* * *

**End of part one.**

**Part 2 coming soon. Review please.**


	28. Culture Day 2: Beauty Pageant

**A/N: The wait is over.**

* * *

_**(11/03/10)**_

_Same day…_

Professor Peter went up to me, "Chap, there's been some sort of problem… apparently, we can only have one even, either swimsuit or lingerie attire. What's your call?"

"Swimsuit. No doubt about it."

"Alright." He said.

I was given a Judge's sash by Ms. Toriumi.

"Go and call the girls." She said absentmindedly.

"Sure thing…"

"Go now." She said.

"Um… Ms. Toriumi?"

"Yes?"

"How are things going between you and Lee?"

She looked somber.

"I called things off… teachers and students are like water and oil… it'd never last…" she said sadly, "I really don't want to talk about it."

"I… see."

I walked over to the girls room.

"Knock knock? Can the honorary judge enter?" I said.

"We're still changing!" Minako hissed from inside.

"Okay, I just wanted to tell you guys that the pageant begins in a few minutes!" I said.

"Thank you!" Yukari shouted from inside.

"Sure, just don't be late." I said, then left.

**Minako POV**

"How the hell do I get THIS on?" I said as I tried to put on a lacy corset.

"Here, let me try…" Rio said.

She yanked the strings tightly and tied them together.

"OOOOPH!" I groaned, "It's…too… tight!"

"It's supposed to be tight." Rio said.

"I feel like a pack of toothpaste being squeezed out from the middle!" I exclaimed.

"Ya know, you don't HAVE to wear it." Yukari said.

"Well, then, I won't." I said, "Help me take this off, please."

Fuuka, Yukari and Rio helped me off the suit.

"Do you think this shirt would compliment my eyes?" Fuuka asked, "I'd like to make a good impression on the judges."

"It would! Dude, that shirt looks awesome!" Minako said.

"And I have a feeling that it's not only the judges that you want to make a good impression on." Rio said, with a sidelong look at Fuuka.

Fuuka just blushed.

"Man! How does this look for the swimsuit part?" A very pinky voice said.

"Pinky-chan! What is THAT?!" Yukari cried.

Pinky was wearing a polka-dot patterned swimsuit that looked too sexy on her.

"Damn… that's too sexy for my blood…" I said, wiping the blood off my nose.

"Uh… I think you should change your swimwear… you look so good, that you might actually be disqualified." Rio said.

"Hmph! You guys are so mean!" Pinky said exasperatedly.

A resonating snicker echoed from across the room.

Michonne sneered at us along with Yo.

"_Vos tentatives pathétiques vous mènera nulle part." _Michonne sniggered, "Pathetic attempts shall get you nowhere."

I stepped forward, shaking my fist.

"Aw, what do you know, Frenchie?" I said hotly.

"_Beaucoup, merci."_ Michonne said, "A lot more than you do."

"You piece-sa shit!" I snarled.

"_Pourquoi?" _Michonne said, "Why do you try to fight us?"

"Haha, why don't you losers just quit?" Yo said.

"Shut up, Yo." Pinky snarled.

"Ah, ze charlatan supreme speaks!" Michonne said pompously.

"A charla- what?" I said.

"My name is Pinky Lee, not Charlotte Tan!" Pinky huffed indignantly.

"Ahahaha! _Vous êtes un imbecile_." Michonne laughed snidely.

"Are you scared of us? You're free to quit, you know!" Yo said.

"What, you think we're a bunch of fucking worms like you?" I snarled as she advanced, then Rio and the rest of the girls restrained me.

"I bury you cockroaches!" I snarled.

We bickered for a few minutes.

**Minato POV**

I loitered at the judges table for a while.

The program was about to start in a few minutes and the girls were nowhere to be found.

Ms. Toriumi strode to me.

"Minato-kun, you better find those girls and bring them here or your ass is grass and I'm a lawn mower. Capiche?"

"Olo."

I went to the dressing room.

"What's taking you guys so long?"

The room was in total bedlam.

Minako was choking Michonne and threatening to slit her throat with a pair of scissors as Pinky, Fuuka, Yukari, Rio and Yo tried to pry her away.

"What's going on here?!" I said as I pried Michonne away.

Under different circumstances, it would have been hilarious to see all the girls pry the 5'4 inch tall, medium framed Minako and only me prying away the 5'6, slim and fit French Michonne away from Minako.

But now, it wasn't funny at all. Michonne was crazy strong. Her vogue, shoulder length strawberry blonde hair swished and whipped my face as she wrapped my neck in a headlock.

Minako's eyes flared with angry hate as her fiery red hair swirled with the wind coming from an open window.

"Alright! That's enough you two!" I cried as I pulled them away.

Michonne looked at me as if I was a treat for her.

"Mmmm… good day, _Monsieur_ Arisato... you're looking very…_délicieux_ today." Michonne fawned.

"Uh… thanks?" I said, "Are you girls ready to go now? Miss Toriumi's going to bust a vein in her forehead if you guys aren't ready…"

"_Taisez-vous, beau gosse…" _Michonne chided in French, "Pretty boys must learn to hold zheir tongue."

Yo stood in the back sniggering stupidly as Michonne circled me like a vulture.

"Lean… tall… not too thin… _bleu-gris_ eyes… hanzome… and…" she roughly grabs my buttocks as I yelp instinctively, "Buttocks are _très doux_."

"Hey!" Yukari cried.

"Hey!" Rio cried.

"Hey!" Pinky cried.

"What the fuck?!" Minako cried.

Michonne ignored them as she circled me, her alabaster skin, strawberry blonde hair and distinctly green eyes made her seem like a snow-princess from a faraway land as she went close enough to whisper to me.

"If you let me win ze pageant, I will satisfy your _désirs érotiques…_" she whispered so sensuously, that I had goosebumps,"_Je vous laisse le mettre n'importe où_…"

I knew quite enough French to know what she was talking about.

Taking cue from Yukari's bewildered expression and Minako's look of pure hatred at Michonne, I gently push Michonne away.

"Sorry Michonne, that might work on Lee or Junpei, but as a judge, I have to be impartial and turn down bribes, no matter how… _sweet _they sound."

Michonne crossed her arms indignantly and began to curse in French, "_Putain tout… Je vais gagner ce concours par moi-même_!", then she turned and looked me straight in the eye, "_Après cela, tu seras mienne… _You will be mine,_ Minato_."

She then closed her eyes and smiled, "_Au revoir_."

She turned away and walked off.

"Yo! _Faites-vous le cul par ici_!" Michonne cried from outside as Yo winced.

"Tam biet." Yo winked at us, "Bye losers! Michonne just told me to get my ass over there."

After they left…

"Damn bitches…" Minako muttered.

"What was the language she was using?" Rio asked.

"Witch Speech!" Minako said spookily.

"What?" Rio said.

"French."

"*sigh* it seems like I'm the only one here who doesn't know how to speak any other languages…" Fuuka said.

"_Nai, to xero sosta?"_ I said.

"_Etiam, ego scire iure?_" Minako said.

"_Sì, lo so giusto?" _Yukari said.

"_Sim, eu sei direito_?" Rio said.

"_Ne, balo algo." _Pinky said.

Fuuka buried her head with her hands, "Why am I the only ignorant one here…"

"Hey, chin up, we'll teach ya!" Minako said.

They then began a crash course on different languages.

"Guys, please hurry it up! Language 101 can wait!" I implored them.

"Alright, we're done, let's get this over with." Minako said as she wore her dress.

There was quite a crowd. The crowd was so big, people stacked up chairs and tables and used binoculars to watch.

I sat with the judges. The rest of the guys were behind my seat.

"Finally!" Ms. Toriumi said, "Are they ready now?"

"Kinda sorta…" I said.

Before Ms. Toriumi could say anything, the MC stepped forward.

He introduced Yo.

"That's not all for the Culture Day festival's Main Event! We still have the long awaited Miss Gekkoukan Beauty Pageant!" the MC said, "The judging begins! Do you feel the crowd going wild?!"

The crowd cheered with crazed fervor.

"From the graceful and rich land of the vogue, our very own Frenchie French, Michonne LaMonde!"

Michonne came out wearing very sexy clothes and winked at my direction that almost made my nose bleed, until I felt something wet running down my nape.

It was blood.

"Dude! You're getting nasal blood all over the back of my neck!" I said to Lee.

"S-Sorry bro… she winked at me!" Lee said, wiping his nose.

"Did not! She winked at me!" Junpei said as he shoved a tissue up his nose.

"Hell no, I know Michonne and she winked at me!" Quan said as he pinched his nose.

"She totally winked at me! I'll even hire someone to fight you for it!" Junpei said.

"Not if I hire someone first!" Lee said.

"I'm staying out of this…" Quan said as he put his hands up.

"Take this outside!" I hissed, "Minako's up next!"

"For our next contestant, a passionate girl who's attitude is as fiery as her hair, from the fourth year, class 3-D, Minako Arisato!"

Minako walked proudly to the stage and winked at us.

She was wearing her usual weekend clothes.

"Yo guys." Minako said, "My name is Minako Arisato. I'm upbeat, passionate and a hopeless romantic and my favorite food is… _yoghurt_." Even she didn't sound convinced.

"That's bullshit! It's _Froot Loops_!" Junpei cried.

Minako tensed up.

"FROOT LOOPS?! WHERE?!" Minako said hungrily.

When the crowd gave her a puzzled look, she glared at them.

"WHO SAID FROOT LOOPS?" she said.

Junpei smiled and winked as he waved at her.

Minako gave Junpei an "_I'm going to cut your throat in your sleep" _look.

"Thanks, Minako. For our next contestant, from the same class, Miss Yukari Takeba-san!"

Yukari came out wearing her winter clothes.

"H-Hello everyone! I'm Yukari!" Yukari said sweetly as she smiled, "I'm a bit cold and indifferent at first, but if you know me personally, I'm very sweet!" Yukari said as she smiled directly at me.

"That is a lie," Junpei said, "I know her personally for years, and she's never been sweet to me…" he muttered.

"Shhhhh! Be quiet fool! Fuuka-chan might be next." Lee said.

The crowd went nuts.

"Next up, is a very shy girl from the same class, Fuuka Yamagishi!"

"I fucking knew it!" Lee whispered excitedly.

Fuuka went up wearing a rather stylish verdant jacket as she sheepishly came up.

Contrary to what I thought, a large number of students, Lee included, cheered loudly for Fuuka.

"H-Hi…" Fuuka said nervously, "I-it's a bit hard for me to imagine being up here in this kind of thing… um… thanks?" she said, "Can I step back now?"

"Thank you Fuuka-chan!" the MC said, "Our next contestant is yet another girl from the same class, a spicy sporty girl, Rio Iwasaki!"

Rio went out wearing a sporty blouse, a silk miniskirt and a tennis visor.

"That's my girl!" Kenji cried, "HEY EVERYONE! She's my girl!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're all impressed." Lee muttered.

"Hey guys! I'm Rio!" Rio said, "I'm sporty and kind and I'm dedicated to the game and my boyfriend." Rio said.

"Hey! That's me! That's ME!" Kenji said.

"We know, we know! Settle down, man!" Lee said.

"Thank you Rio-chan!" the MC said, "Our last contestant is another girl from the same class, Pinky-chan!"

Pinky went out wearing a pink blouse over a white turtle neck and black leggings.

"Hi-hi! I'm Pinky!"

The crowd cheered, Quan louder than some, as Pinky waved her hands at them.

The girls did a few poses.

"And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for, the girls will now partake in a swimsuit competition!"

The crowd was whipped into an excited frenzy.

First out was Yo, who wore a laced two-pieced bikini.

Second was Michonne, who wore a black, one pieced swim suit which looked sensual on her.

Third was Minako, who wore spunky and stylish broad shorts and a red top.

Fourth was Yukari, who wore a familiar bikini from the Yakushima Beach Party.

Fifth was Fuuka, who wore the same outfit from last year.

Sixth was Rio, who wore a very appealing bikini, except she wore shorts rather than a bikini bottom.

Seventh was Pinky, who wore a golden bikini.

"Now, for the Q/A portion…" the MC said.

Professor Peter tapped me in the arm.

"Write your questions on a piece of paper."

With prodding and suggestive comments from Leah and Akihiko, I wrote my question.

They placed it in a jar and handed it to the MC.

He picked a question.

"Do you guys have a boyfriend or at least a love interest? If so, how did you meet?"

"We met at my old school." Yo said.

"We met at Le school." Michonne said.

"W-We met at school." Fuuka said.

"We met at the street in front of our house." Rio said.

"We met in Korea." Pinky said.

"We met in our dorm and fell in love at first sight…" Yukari said, leaving out the part when she pointed a gun at me.

"We met… on the beach, walking down at sunset and reaching out for a seashell at the same time, until our hands met." Minako said as she gave me a kind look.

I gave her a puzzled look.

"Thank you! Next question…" he picks another question, "Where did you go out on a date?"

"At some burger joint." Yo said.

"At Le Rhine river." Michonne said.

"School. We shared a special soup I made." Fuuka said.

"At the Hagakure Ramen shop." Rio said.

"He took me out on a drive with his Dad's Maserati." Pinky said.

Professor Peter turned around to raise an eye brow at Quan, who suddenly took an interest in his baby seal leather boots.

"We sat down at a beach in Yakushima and talked the night away." Yukari said, reliving that fond memory in me.

"We took a stroll down the river and threw… rocks on a dilapidated and abandoned car."

_Wait… we did that! Except we used a gun…_

"Thank you." the MC said, "Next question, where did you have your first kiss?"

"My room." Yo said.

"At Le Eiffel Tower." Michonne said.

"Uh… We haven't kissed yet." Fuuka said as she blushed and looked Lee.

"We kissed at New Year's eve…" Rio said.

"Did we?" Kenji said quizzically, "Oh yeah… she kissed me in the cheek." Kenji said, suddenly remembering.

"We kissed inside his parent's room." Pinky said.

Professor Peter looked back on Quan again, who whistled absentmindedly.

"We kissed in the rooftop as the sun began to set." Yukari said.

Junpei and Kenji nudged me.

"We…" Minako smiled at me as if remembering a fond memory, "We kissed at a party, under the lit moonlight."

Akihiko, Quan and Junpei nudged me.

"Okay. Thank you girls…" the MC said and picked another question, "The next question is… Gasp!" he gasped as he went to us.

"Look at this question… it's a tad bit inappropriate, isn't it?" the MC said.

Mitsuru, Ms. Toriumi, Professor Peter, Akihiko and I all gasped.

Leah was absentmindedly drawing scribbles.

"That isn't at all appropriate." I said.

Then, the Professor spoke up.

"Well… we need to do it. No turning back now."

The MC nodded and went up.

"T-Take note that this question can be skipped by stepping back… it's rather… _vulgar_." The MC said, "Our next question is… Have you guys had… _sex_."

There was a collective gasp in the entire student body.

Even Lee and Junpei, two of the most pervy guys in school, gasped.

"What is he thinking?" Kenji hissed.

"What kind of question is that?" Lee said.

"He's just trying to satisfy his own perverted curiosity!" Junpei hissed.

Yo, Michonne, Fuuka, Pinky and Rio shook their heads, refusing to answer such a ridiculous question. They took a step back.

Only Yukari and Minako were left.

Strangely enough, Yukari smiled.

"We… we had a magical night… just one special night… January 29… I don't have any regrets doing it… with Minato-kun."

I went pale.

The crowd murmured behind me as some guys began to mutter.

"Luck bastard…"

"Man… I'd give anything to be Minato…"

"He's got all the girls… this isn't right!"

"Minako-chan?" the MC asked.

"We… we haven't done it yet!" Minako said boldly, "But I'm looking forward to doing it with the right guy!" she winked at me.

"Okay. That's all for the Q/A portion! Judges will now do the scoring."

I made my marks on the girl's scores.

They passed the scores along.

The MC took it and went up.

He looked at the paper and raised an eyebrow.

"What strange turnout! Our winner… or, _winners _are Minako Arisato and Yukari Takeba! Will the Honorary Judge kindly pin the sashes?"

I went up and pinned it at them.

"Ow! That was my skin, you idiot!" Minako said as I pricked her with the pin.

"Sorry!"

They took our picture.

"This is my dream." Yukari whispered.

"Congrats."

"I've been dreaming of this day…"

"Congrats."

"There you go! Our first winners of the program!" the MC said, "Our program has ended, folks!"

The crowd cheered wildly.

"Everyone has to stay and clean up." Mitsuru said.

"AWWWWW!" the crowd said dejectedly.

The guys and I began cleaning the room.

Quan talked to me.

"Hey… is it true that you and Yukari-chan did it?"

"Yeah…" I said.

"C-can you help me with Pinky?"

"Uh… sure."

Junpei walked to me.

"You guy! Did you really do it?"

"Yep." I said.

"Awesome!" Junpei said, "You still remember, huh?"

"I remembered that time because I had to do a condom run because I'd finished Mitsuru's S-link the day before, so I ran out of 'protection'." I said.

"An S-what?" Quan said.

"Nevermind."

It was fast approaching nightfall and everyone gathered.

"What do we do? It's nearing nightfall and they said there might be a thunderstorm…" Yukari said.

As if to confirm that, it started to drizzle and a thunder boomed.

"Well, how about we stay over at our place?" I said, "It's nearby and we can all fit there."

"Really?" they said.

"Really. There's a place that can hold all of us together." I said.

"Wait…"

All of them called their parents and got the ok.

"Great. Let's go!" Quan said, "What's the place called?"

I smiled and looked at Minako.

"It's called Narda."

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**A/N: Done! Everyone, please take a few moments to leave a review!**


	29. Sleepover

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update sooner. I didn't really see the need to update as much, seeing as there is little to write for.**

**A few key pointers: tons of craziness ensues and if you hate either pillow fights or Nerf or general craziness, then you can turn away.**

**But if you DO like it… then carry on.**

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**(11/03/10)**

**Same day…**

"This is so damn unfair!"

Junpei was crying loudly as he walked around my side of Narda with the other guys.

The guys already changed to their PJ's, so it was quite comical seeing Junpei rant in his Donald Duck pajamas.

"Yeah. How come my room doesn't have a secret closet?" Akihiko said as he donned the shirt in his silver pajama top.

"It's not a closet!" I said dismissively, "Not really my fault, you guys chose the rooms while I was out hauling my stuff upstairs." I countered.

"Well, nothing we can do about it, eh?" Junpei said as he admired his pajamas in the mirror.

Kenji whistled, "Sweet place though…"

"Yeah… sharing a room with Minako!" Quan said.

"I'm not really sharing it… it's just a common lodge." I said.

"Still… hey, why don't we go to their side of the room?" Junpei said.

"Hey, that don't sound too slick, bro…" Lee said, "I imagine they'll kill us and eat our liver…"

"Maybe they'll kiss us and eat our-" Quan said.

"Hey, that sounds good…" Junpei said, "Everyone, grab a pillow!" Junpei said.

"Let's think this through." Akihiko warned.

"Yeah! Minako will rip our guts out and watch us bleed." I said.

"It'll be worth it." Kenji said, "My dear Rio-chan…"

"All right… don't say I didn't told you so…" I warned as I threw a pillow at Junpei.

Everyone smiled as we took a pillow each.

"Ready?" I asked.

The boys nodded solemnly.

Without a word, we crept silently to the girl's side of Narda.

**Minako POV**

"Hey this place is really neat!" Rio said

"Eh… not really…" Pinky said, looking around the room, "Look at the state of this place!"

"Hehe, I meant in a cool kind of way…"

"You're a bit of a slob, aren't you?" Leah said, "Give me 5000 yen and I'll fix this shit hole up!"

"All brilliant people are!" I looked around, "Yeah, sure, Leah..." I then bulldozed some of the stuff to an empty part of my room.

After we set our sleeping bags and futons…

"Ooooh! Fuuka! Your pajamas are so silky!" Rio said, "Where did you buy that?"

Fuuka blushed shyly.

"It was a gift from my aunt."

"S'good thing your aunt gives you something," I said, "Mine give me nothing but insults.

Fuuka shuffled.

"Can I touch?" I said, touching her pajama.

"H-Hey! That tickles!" Fuuka said as she giggled.

Everyone joined in and tickled Fuuka.

We tickled her a lot more before stopping.

"Hey, where does that corridor lead to?" Yukari said while still giggling.

"Eh… Minato's closet." I said, trying to catch my breath.

"WHAT?!" Yukari shouted loudly.

Everyone looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Rio said.

"Wh- wh-what?!"

"Hey, are you dating him?" I said.

"Er… no." Yukari said.

"Then take a chill pill and chillax." I said.

"Whatever…" Yukari muttering things like 'thief' and 'sneak'.

"Hey, watch me do a handstand!" I said, quickly getting into position.

I did a three second handstand as everyone clapped.

**Minato POV**

"ATTACK!" Junpei yelled as she smacked an upside-down Minako with his down-pillow.

"Yow!" Minako flipped unceremoniously over as she went down with a startled yelp.

"Watch it!" Yukari snarled as I hit her square in the nose with my pillow.

"Ow! Idiot!" Rio growled as she put out a forearm to defend herself from Kenji's double barrage of pillows.

"Asshole!" Leah spat as Akihiko gave her a 3-hit combo, sending feathers everywhere.

"Quanny!" Pinky cried as Quan hit her with a pillow.

"Lee-san!" Fuuka pleaded as Lee hit her with a pillow.

Immediately, we knew we made a mistake when they glowered at us.

"What the hell was that about?!" Minako roared.

We all smiled sheepishly as Minako punched Junpei in the nose.

"Get out!" Minako snarled.

The girls chased us out and we ran back.

"Man, they take things too seriously, do they?" Junpei said, pinching his nose and leaning his head back.

"You do realize that doing that is actually bad?" Quan said.

"What should I do then?" Junpei said.

"Stuff your nose with cotton." Akihiko said.

"Hey! Check it out!" Kenji said.

We all looked and we saw that the girls made a crudely made barricade from tables, chairs and all sorts of flotsam and jetsam.

It was a few feet high.

"Looks like Minako moved all the trash in her room out…"

"I heard that!" Minako cried.

We all stared at it for a while.

"What should we do?" Junpei said.

"What can we do?" I said.

"I say we attack." Lee said.

We all stared at him, "Are you on drugs?" Quan said.

"No, seriously." Lee insisted, "By building that 'wall' they challenge our strength."

"What strength?" Kenji cried, "They can kick our asses without lifting a finger!"

"Not that I would mind…" Akihiko muttered.

"Should we?" Quan said.

"I knew it. You guys are too chicken to do it." Lee said.

"We are not chicken!" Junpei cried, "My popcorn!" he bent over and picked the popcorn with his mouth.

"Anyway, who's with me?" Lee said.

"Do we have a choice?" I said.

"Excellent!" Lee said.

Then, we set off again.

Outside their side…

"We're coming in!" Lee cried as we climbed.

**Minako POV**

After we built the barricade, we all sat down and had some sandwiches.

"Those guys are such tools!" Rio cried.

"I know! Minato hit my face with the zipper!" Yukari said.

"Well, they seem to be shutting up now that we built this wall." I said.

"We're coming in!" A voice sounding like Lee said.

"Oh god!" Yukari cried.

"What do we do?!" Fuuka said.

I strode to a cabinet and opened a door.

I threw Yukari a Nerf Retaliator .

"What the hell is this?!" she cried.

"Nerf for Nerds." I said, handing Rio an Alpha Trooper CS-12.

"Sweet! This one looks like a 50. Cal!" said Leah, after I handed her a Stampede ECS.

"I know… cost me a fair penny." I said, "Fuuka! Catch!" I tossed Fuuka a Stockade.

I handed Pinky a Nitron.

"What about you?" she asked.

I took a Rampage for myself.

Junpei was already up, helping Lee.

I aimed at him and sent a barrage of foam at his bum, sending him crashing on top of Lee on the other side of the barricade.

"This is insanity!" Yukari cried as we took positions.

"It's Nerf or nothing."

**Minato POV**

"Junpei! What happened?" I asked as he mysteriously fell off.

"I don't know… one second, I was helping Lee up, the next thing I know is that I had a searing ass-pain and fell on the ground."

"Let me take a look…" Quan said as he climbed the barricade.

Several pops were heard as Quan fell.

He had two foam darts in his nose and several more protruding his mouth.

"They got Nerf guns!" He cried as he spat out the darts.

"Nerf guns? What are you, pussies?" Lee said haughtily, "Takes more than a few foam darts and toy guns to take this guy down!" he said as he clambered up the barricade.

"Lee! No!" I cried, but a rain of darts felled him and rained down on us.

"Suction darts!" Lee cried.

"Let's rush them!" I said, "They wouldn't expect that!"

"Agreed!" Kenji said.

We all charged.

**Minako POV**

"It's very quiet…"

It had been a few minutes since Lee went down.

Then, the boys climbed up the barricade.

We let loose a rain of Darts.

"Ammo! I need more ammo!"Yukari cried.

"Where's the ammo?!" I cried.

"I need a clip!" Rio said.

"On the left!" Fuuka said.

We fired at the boys, who seemed to get stronger and more durable every time they fell.

"Crap! This one needs more ammo!" Leah snarled, "And none of these darts fit the magazine!"

"Then drop that pea-shooter and use THIS!" I said, handing her a Vulcan BF-50.

"HOLY MOTHERFUCKER!" Leah cried.

"Th-that's a Vulcan BF-50!" Fuuka said, "That isn't even available for sale! How did you get that?"

"I… _borrowed _it."

"Whatever, just set it up!" Yukari scowled, "It's our only chance!"

"Hehe… this is actually quite exciting!" Fuuka said.

Leah set it up and shot a hailstorm of Nerf at Akihiko and Minato, who fell down with a crash.

After a few minutes, we all ran out of ammo, except Fuuka.

"Dammit! We should've taken turns…" Pinky said.

"Minako, don't you have any more ammo?" Rio said.

"No… I had those just lying around…" I said, "I should've bought more…"

"Well, we better do something fast… who else has ammo?" Yukari said.

Fuuka and Pinky raised their hands.

"Just hold them off while I go grab something…" I said.

They nodded and shot Kenji and Junpei, who were attempting to climb up.

"Minako! Hurry up!" Yukari screamed.

I dug through my closet and found a dusty box.

I opened it and loaded it as I went out.

"Holy crap! A Nerf-zooka!" Rio cried.

"I know." I said as I took aim at a hammer that was supporting the barrier.

I squeezed the trigger and missed.

"It's too small!" said Fuuka.

"Go grab a boxing glove or something!" I snarled.

They handed me a boxing glove, which I added to the second bazooka shell.

"Ahhh…" I said as I aimed.

"This is beginning to be more like Mr. Bean!" Yukari said.

Minato and all the boys were up on the barricade and their eyes opened in horror as I aimed at it.

"N-No, Minako, don't even think about it!" Minato said, "You wouldn't dare!"

I smirked, "Smile, you sonofabitch!"

I squeezed the trigger and hit the hammer, causing the barricade to fall and the boys to get slightly injured.

We saw them hobble back as we all celebrated with some butterbeer.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if that was a bit too crazy… Nerf gave me quite the memories and I decided to immortalize one of those memories by writing one of our fights in the story…**

**Also, as for the butterbeer, I'm sort of a Potterhead now, so... Accio Butterbeer anyone?**

**Part 2 coming very soon, my beloved readers! I do hope you would take the time to review!**


	30. Panty Raid

_**DoA: 30**_

_**Author's note: hey, sorry for those who had waited a long time for this, especially my dear fellow MinaxMina shippers. And, of course, those who weren't at all satisfied with the ending of Persona. Which is, pretty much, everyone in the entire fandom.**_

_**You see, my laptop had crashed a month and a half ago, and I was lost in where to begin again and I was already halfway through with chapters 36-37! Talk about misfortune! I poured most of my imagination into it, so I lost my drive to write for a while, but I finally got off my ass and began writing again! Be very sure to review, especially for those who favorite it, because that's all I'm asking for, really.**_

_**And not just the predictable and usual pathetic review, "Grate story! Plz UpDate!" bullshit, because that's just annoying as hell. And an illiterate, overused and idiotic review at that. Try to make it long and insightful or even give ideas you want, because this may escape your notice, but I listen to what you say. This may also escape your notice, but I work hard to write. This is for you people, so please do your part and help me, help you by reviewing.**_

_**Well, in any event, although this isn't as epic as my original one, please do enjoy!**_

* * *

We staggered out the wreck, broken and scarred.

Junpei had several scratches and bruises, while Lee had many splinters in his legs and butt, since he shattered a chair when he fell. He also had several abrasions.

Quan had escaped most of the injury by combat rolling when he fell, only to have me fall right on top of him.

Kenji's hand had been sprained by a pile of boxes that fell on his wrist.

Lee, Junpei and Quan dragged Akihiko from underneath a pile of flotsam and jetsam.

I, on the other hand, had sustained little injuries. But I got socked in the face when I fell

We settled in my side of Narda. Kenji was plucking pieces of splinters from Lee's legs.

"Ow!" Lee yelped, "Much obliged, shorty... Now... Can you do the other side?" He said as he pulled down his shorts, revealing a pin-cushioned buttock.

"Oh boy..." Kenji groaned as he began plucking again.

"Those girls were dirty..." Lee continued, "I mean, using Nerf guns on us! The nerve!"

"Snrk..." Junpei stifled a laugh.

"Something funny, Junior?" Lee said crossly.

"N-nothing... The girls had some... They had a lot of nerf to shoot at us!"

Perhaps it was the tension, or maybe the after effects of the fall, but we all couldn't help but laugh.

"Hahaha... Never... I never knew Hasbro sold Nerf guns here..." Quan said, not quite getting over his giggle fit.

"She probably didn't get them from here." I said, "She used to be from America. Or London. Whichever."

"And if those guys from Hasbro could market My Pretty Pony here, then they could definitely sell Nerf here... Don't know why they don't though..." Akihiko said.

"I see... But are we gonna let this one slide? Look what they did to Lee and Akihiko-san!" Quan said.

"Tis a flesh wound, Henry." Lee said with a faux pompous voice.

"It's Quan." Quan said, "Besides, my father was never reluctant to put me to the rod when I got expelled, so punishing girls won't be too hard for me. Pinky definitely needs to be spanked. It's been a while since I've done that, but it needs to be done."

Everyone mused on the idea. They obviously want retribution.

That definitely got Junpei riled up. "A sound plan! I even have some moves I learned from Chidori."

"Moves?" Kenji said.

"How else was I able to pass the exams?" Junpei said.

"I don't know. Probably a cheat sheet or something..." Quan said.

"Give me some credit!" Junpei said.

"Enough," I said, "What's the idea? It seems as though we can't get close enough to get physical... Definitely a suicide mission if we do... I have a feeling that the Nerf guns aren't the only thing those savage nymphs could dish out..."

"How about a panty raid?" Lee said, "After all, you can't beat the classics."

Everyone smiled at the thought. I smiled because I thought they were amused by such an infantile idea.

"Sounds like a good plan." Quan said.

"WHAT?!" I said in absolute disbelief, "You guys are actually serious about this?!"

"As serious as the plague." Lee sad solemnly.

I stared at them with disbelief. "Have you guys lost your minds?! Is there something wrong with your brains or something?!"

"Nah. My mom had me tested already. The results were inconclusive though..." Lee said, "But the point is we need to hit the girls where it would really hurt-"

"By burning their shoe collections?" Quan said.

"Yes. I mean no." Lee said, "By pilfering and looting their undies!"

"Guys, that doesn't seem like such a nice thing to do." I said.

"And what they did was nice?" Lee said, "I'm pretty certain that it wasn't."

"Come on fellas..." I reasoned, "Why don't we just teepee their houses? Starting with Leah's joint?" Junpei said, "We gotta knock her house up!"

"You moron! Are you forgetting that Leah lives here!?" I said.

"They shot us down mercilessly!" Junpei said, "Just teepeeing their houses won't cut it."

"That was because we tried to go in their room!" I said.

"Still! Retribution must follow." Lee said.

"Come on... Kenji and Akihiko-san will back me up!" I said.

"Speak for yourself dude," Kenji said, "I want to go."

"Oh man... And you, Senpai?" I said.

"Eh... No comment." Akihiko said, "I don't want in."

"Aha! See?" I said.

"Really Senpai?" Junpei said.

"I'm neither for, nor against it." Akihiko said, "Come what may. Although if Mitsuru was there, it'd be a definite no. Besides, I'm open to new things, and a panty raid is definitely a first for me."

"So, you're a raid virgin?" Junpei said, "Don't worry. You won't forget your first."

"You know, your mother's panties don't actually count." Quan said.

"Shaddup! That's not the point." Junpei said irritatedly, "So, we wilco on the plan? Or does Minato have anything else to preach about morality?" Junpei said.

"I'm highly against this, but I can't go against a general consensus and become the social pariah of this group." I said, "So, yeah, you morons can count me in on your suicide mission."

"Yes! Mark my words, by later this evening, we'll be loaded with enough panties to start a lingerie store!" Lee promised.

"What's the plan, Scipio Africanus?" I said dryly.

"Okay. From what I've seen in their rooms, they keep their clothes and laundry in a different room-" Lee began.

"Wait, you just glanced their room?" Junpei said.

"Yeah. In my line of work, we need a sharp eye and survey the battlefield." Lee explained, "As I was saying, they probably keep their junk in a separate room. Now, if we somehow sneak up a window with a ladder, we may be able to gain entrance to the house. By then, we can split into 3 groups and search the rooms. Then, we steal their underwear and haul ass. Simple enough." Lee said.

Everyone nodded.

"Imagine holding a handful of Rio's undies, Kenji." Lee said.

Kenji literally drooled at the thought.

"And you, Junpei, the ultimate revenge to Yukari for all the times she dissed you..."

"While I relish the thought of stealing her undies, I must not let X-rated thoughts get to me. Chidori is my one and only." Junpei said.

"How very touching." Lee said sarcastically, "And Quan... Imagine Pinky's soiled underwear as you-"

"I'm going to the bathroom... To... do stuff." He ran off.

"Don't blow too much of your load!" Lee said, "And Akihiko-san... Imagine Leah's-"

"L-Leah?!" Akihiko said in surprise, "What gave you the idea that I liked her?"

"You like her." Lee said, "Nothing more to it, De La Hoya." Lee said, "And Minato, you can have Minako's."

"What are you talking about?" I said.

"Well... You know..." Junpei said, "Come on! We ain't blind, bro! We all see the way you look at her!"

"Your eyes shine and sparkle, like a blind man seeing sun for the first time." Kenji said.

"W-what?! My eyes always sparkle!"

"And the way you smile everytime you see her." Akihiko said.

"That's because she usually says something ridiculous everytime she makes an intro."

"And the way you hold her close whenever you make contact with her." Quan, who had returned with a flushed face, said.

"I only do that so she won't punch me!" I said, "And you got a tissue stuck in your head!"

Quan removed the tissue as he blushed scarlet red.

"In any event, I will not be made the spoilsport here! Let's go!" I said, suddenly becoming fired up.

We all ran out of the room.

We walked towards the lonely window of Minako's home.

"Oh, that's great! How're we gonna clear a fifteen feet by jumping?!" Junpei said.

"Oh well, looks like we'll have to go home now!" Akihiko said.

"Looks like it." Lee said dejectedly.

"And I was so looking forward to it!" Quan said mournfully.

"Looks like Minato got his wish." Junpei said.

"Say what?" I said.

"I'm saying you got your wish since you so obviously didn't want in-"

"Justaminute!" I shouted, "Wait. Here." I said through my teeth.

I ran upstairs and took something Minako gave me.

"A rope ladder?" Lee said incredulously.

"Damn right. What, they don't teach you how to climb rope ladders on the army? Or they don't teach ya how to have fun?" I said.

"Jeez..." Lee said, "I was just gonna ask how you got to that."

"I, uh, bought it." I lied.

"Really?"

"Yeah." I said.

"Then kindly explain why it's labelled 'Minako's rope ladder'?" He said as he pointed at the label.

"She gave it to me so I can sneak to her room. Are we done playing 20 questions now?" I said angrily.

Junpei's jaw dropped.

"Oh, it's not what you guys think!" I said.

"Really?" Kenji said.

"Whatever! At any rate, Quan, climb over our shoulders and tie the ladders." I said.

"Why me?" Quan said.

"Because you're small enough to fit in a trunk."

"It looks pretty dangerous..." Quan said.

"Do it for Pinky!"

"For Pinky..." He said quietly, "FOR PINKY!" He said as we all got onto each other's shoulders and he clambered to the top.

We all climbed the rather wobbly ladder.

After we finally got over to the window, the guys seemed enthusiastic.

"Let's split up! Remember to listen closely first before entering." Lee said.

I was paired up with Akihiko while Lee was with Junpei and Quan with Kenji.

We started with the first few rooms. No luck, seeing as they were empty rooms and bathrooms. Mostly storage rooms for food. It seems as if we were raiding a storage warehouse.

We roamed around for a while, whispering to one another, until I recognized Minako's room. I saw the girl's bags nearby.

I somehow forced myself to rummage to it, finding a G-string that was obviously Minako's. It fitted her slim waistline and it was to her style. Plus, it was labelled 'Shigure', Minako's nickname.

"Mother load..." Akihiko whispered.

"Better tell them." I said, "And, Senpai, your nose is bleeding."

We searched for the rest and we found them on another room.

They were rubbing their faces with panties.

"Ohhhh! Oh yeah, baby!" Lee moaned.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?" Akihiko said.

"Oh... Senpai, Minato... Join us, bros... Plenty for everyone..." Junpei said.

"Um... You guys do realize that this isn't Minako's room, right?" I said, trying not to laugh.

"What the hell are you talking about? Look, these are Minako's, I'm sure of it!" Lee said.

"As compared to this, that... parachute you're holding has nothing to what we found." I said, showing them the one I had.

Lee's eyes opened in horror. Everyone elses, except ours, were wide open in disbelief.

"Whose are these?" Lee asked carefully.

"Her Aunt's, probably." I said.

That was enough to set them off. Lee opened the window and began retching uncontrollably. Junpei threw the one he wiped his face with as he grabbed a pack of Purell and scrubbed furiously. Quan turned green as Kenji, strangely enough, didn't seemed affected. Must be due to his fetish for older women that still lingered.

"FREEZE, PERVERTS!" A loud voice boomed.

When we turned around, it was Minako's Aunt wielding a shotgun.

"DON'T MOVE! OR I'LL BLOW YOUR TESTICLES OFF!"

We all put our arms in the air. Mostly to cover our faces, but it didn't seem necessary, since it was nearly pitch black and Minako mentioned her Aunt was night blind.

"Eh? Put that peashooter, granma... You don't wanna mess with me." Lee said with swagger.

"Shut your fucking face!" Minako's aunt said, "I'll blow you!" She shouted at Quan, "And then I'll blow you!" She shouted to Junpei.

"Blow me? What the hell? Hump me, that's all right, just don't blow me." Junpei said.

"I'm from New York! I killed before, and I'll kill again!" she shouted.

I looked at Akihiko and nodded, then he nodded to Junpei, and they passed it around.

"Now!" I said as Lee threw a handful of panties at her face and we ran past her.

She shot at us, with little success.

Akihiko, Kenji and I managed to run out the front door as Quan and Junpei managed to get out through the ladder, taking it down to prevent anyone from following. That meant that Lee was the only one at the house.

After some shouting, a muffled shot was, well, shot and Lee jumped out the window and landed quite hard on a bush.

"And don't come back!" A voice from the house cried.

Lee hobbled for a while and asked for help.

"She got me..." He said, "Right in the ass..." Lee moaned.

"Oh tits!" I cursed as we brought him in the house.

"Get some fucking help!" Junpei cried.

Quan picked up a phone and dialed the hospital.

"Hello? Tatsumi Memorial Hospital? Yes, we need a-"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Junpei said as he took the phone and slammed it down.

"Calling the hospital!" He said.

"Don't. Those nosey idiots from the station will snoop around on how Lee got his wounds. Ask the girls!"

We argued on who will do that, until finally, I decided to go.

I ran up and got to their part of Narda.

_Meanwhile..._

"What do you call it when you thrust a hairy pole in and out of your mouth, and at the end, you spit out a white liquid?" Yukari asked.

"Fellat-" Fuuka began.

"Oral-" Minako began

"Brushing your teeth." Pinky said, "Hey! Boy!"

"Second wave! Prepare to shoot!" Minako cried.

Everyone shot at me.

"I come in peace!" I shouted.

"Yeah, right!" Minako cried.

"Lee's hurt!" I said.

"Say what?" Minako said and they stopped shooting.

"We were, uh, playing Russian roulette and he got shot in the-"

"Say no more! Let's go!" Minako said.

When they arrived, the girls were all getting squeamish at the sight of blood, so they were sent away, except for Leah, for her medical skills, Minako, who didn't seemed troubled with blood, and Fuuka, who insisted on staying.

After Leah administered some first aid, she said that it was only a superficial wound from a geese-gun and isn't problematic, so long as we remove the shrapnel from his posterior.

Minako said she didn't want to touch his butt, so it was up to Fuuka, who was strangely willing to do so.

We left those two.

"So... Where did General Lee over there get the gunshot?" Minako asked, "And be honest, bestie."

"Promise not to get mad though?" I said.

"Yeah, sure."

I took a deep breath, "We were trying to get revenge from the massacre earlier and we snuck into your house with the ladder you gave me." I said.

"You snuck into my house?!" Minako flared.

"No harm, no foul!" I said, "Anyway, we ran into your aunt, who was obviously into duck-hunting... One thing led to another and... Say, didn't you guys hear any of it? It was pretty loud."

"My room has sound-proof walls." Minako said.

"Sorry though..." I said.

"Nah, think nothing of it." Minako said, "I would've done the exact same thing."

"Of course you would."

Meanwhile...

"Ow!" Lee cried, "Oh, Jesus Christ, that stings! Owwww!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Fuuka said apologetically.

"Dear Lord, that burns!" Lee said.

"Want me to blow on it?" Fuuka said.

"Yeah, thanks, that helps me get relaxed..." Lee said.

"Good." Fuuka said as she took another piece of shrapnel out.

"Ohhh..." Lee moaned.

"There!" Fuuka said.

"Lemme ask you a question... Am I handsome?" Lee said.

"Of course you are! Hehe, but you probably get that all the time from girls." Fuuka said.

Lee scoffed, "Yeah, right. As if girls might say: 'Hey, you got violence issues and you like to kill people, I gotta tap that ass!', as if!"

"That's not true... You're cute, funny and awesome... Maybe girls are flirting with you and you're not... aware of it...?" Fuuka said as a strange silence premated the air.

"No. Seriously?"

"Well... Kinda..."

Lee stared at her with his stony gaze.

"No! Ga ha ha ha!" Lee said as he gave a hearty laugh, Fuuka laughing rather halfheartedly.

"Yeah, that's a laugh!" Lee laughed.

Fuuka got up and emptied the contents of the alcohol bottle onto Lee's wounds, drawing an almighty wail.

"What was that for?!" Lee cried, "Ow! Good one Fuuka!"

"Sorry!" She said profusely.

"Nah, don't mention it. But if you really feel bad about it, you can buy me some coffee sometime."

"Deal!" Fuuka smiled.

"So, ready to turn in?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah, in a minute." Minako said.

"Well, good night." I said.

"Yeah, see you around." Minako said.

She left and I went to bed.

But before that, I went to my trophy room and tacked Minako's underwear right inside my Deus Xiphos cabinet.

I went to bed then, pretty much satisfied with today's events.

* * *

_**A/N:**__** DONE! haha, yeah, I'll admit it was a bit tense, but you know...**_

_**Please, remember to review! Give your thoughts about it!**_


	31. Meeting a Detective Prince

DoA: 3

_**Author's notes: hello everyone! I'm adding a reference on the P3 school trip. Also, during the hot springs scene, I was never caught peeping, so I'm adding that reference.**_

_**Also, there's a POLL in my profile! It affects the ending greatly, so I give you, my dear and beloved readers, the choice of voting the climax/ending! you can vote up to 3, so vote away! **_

* * *

I woke up early in the morning to find Junpei's foot in my face. I pushed it away and went to wash my face.

Everyone was still fast asleep, so I decided to wait for thirty minutes before waking everyone up.

Kenji yawned as he stretched. Junpei rubbed his eyes and Quan nudged Lee.

"Lee, wake up." Quan said.

"Mmmm..." Lee said, "Five minutes."

"Wake up!" Quan said.

"Alright, alright!" Lee said.

"How're you feeling?" I said.

"A bit sore." Lee said.

Lee looked at his phone, and his eyes brightened up.

"Say, Fuuka-chan sent me a message!" Lee said.

"Well, don't keep us waiting! Speak up!" Junpei said.

"It says 'Hey Lee-kun! Remember, you are great! If you want to talk, or if you want to hang out and have some coffee, then give me a call! I'm always available for you! Stay cool and be yourself! :) :)'" Lee said

Junpei, Akihiko, Quan, Kenji and I were expecting his response to be filled with realization.

"Such a friendly girl!"

We shook our heads and sighed. Lee is pretty clueless, even by Kenji standards.

I realized my phone had a message.

"Guys look, "dudes, we made you guys breakfast, come down to eat.", a message from Minako."

We all went down and found quite a feast laid out. It was a cornucopia of delights and pleasures, mainly pancakes, bacon and other treats.

"Come on guys! Fuuka made some breakfast with Yukari!" Minako said.

"Great! It looks simple enough! Even Yuka-tan can't afford to screw this up!" Junpei said.

"What was that, Stupei?" Yukari said dangerously.

"I said 'Let's eat'!" Junpei said nervously.

"Thought so." Yukari said.

We ate the food, and it wasn't half-bad. It was actually quite delectable. So we gorged ourselves, until we felt full.

Strangely enough, Fuuka's skills with cooking had been sharpened considerably since our S-link.

After that, we all decided to chill out in the living room.

We watched some Harry Potter while chatting idly.

"Does Gekkoukan have a school trip?" Minako asked.

"Yeah, next week." Junpei said, "But don't get your hopes up. We'll probably go to some remote countryside or something, like last year."

"Hey! It wasn't remote! It was in Kyoto!" Yukari said, "And the hot springs were relaxing."

"I kinda thought last year was fun too." Akihiko admitted, "Though, it we were almost creamed..."

"Yeah, anyway!" I said, changing the subject, "It'll probably somewhere here in Japan."

"Not really." Quan said indifferently.

We all looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Kenji asked.

"Yeah, speak up!" Rio said.

"Just something I heard from my Dad. He mentioned going abroad or something..." Quan said distractedly.

"That's right... The reason why we didn't go abroad was because of Ekoda." I said.

"These are one of the times that I'm glad you two are my friends." Kenji said.

"Where did he say we were going, Quan?" Fuuka asked politely.

"He was very cryptic. Either in America or Europe." Quan said.

"Sweet! If we were going to the U.S., then I'd hope we'd go to New York! That place is my turf!" Minako said.

"I can't wait!" Yukari said.

"Too bad we can't go, eh Aki?" Leah said.

"Nope. Looks like it'd just be us." Akihiko said.

"Ah, in that case... You two play nice, okay?" Junpei said with a wink.

"Wha- Junpei!" Akihiko said angrily as he blushed.

"You sound like a creep!" Yukari said.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out. When it got late, the guys began to go home.

(11/05/10)

Monday...

Today was unusually uneventful. Other than the fact that they announced the School Trip, something we were already aware of.

Later, when we were having our Lunch break, the P.A. Announced something.

"Will Minato Arisato proceed to the Director's office please?"

Minako shrugged.

"D'ya do something?" Kenji said.

"Not that I know of." I said as I went to the Director's office.

I went down and knocked at the door before entering.

"Ah, Minato!" Mitsuru said.

"Hello Directress Kirijo." I said.

"Oh Minato! No need to be so formal and stuffy!"

"Heh, look who's talking!" I said.

After bantering, we went down to business.

"I want to introduce you to my cousin. Please come in now."

A young kid, not more than a middle-school student, went inside. He, or she (He/She was androgynous,) was pint-sized, had pasty skin and blue hair, with a hard look (seems as though she was deciding on something) and wore a Detective's cap.

Other than that, he/she looked almost like me.

"H-Hello Senpai... My name is Naoto." He/she said, holding out his/her hand.

I shook his/her hand.

"Um... Should I call you Naoto-kun or Naoto-chan?" I said.

He/she blushed.

"Naoto here is a girl." Mitsuru said.

"Say what?!" I said.

"B-but please call me Naoto-kun!" She pleaded.

"Yeah, sure..." I said.

"Naoto here has been homeschooled since birth, so I've decided that she needs to see school life, even though she's a few years too young for it." Mitsuru said.

"Wait, isn't she a bit too young?" I said.

"Don't worry, Senpai, I've taken advanced courses so you needn't worry about me." Naoto said, "And we do quite look alike, I admit."

The bell rang.

"Well, you better head for class." Mitsuru said, "Naoto will come during your School Trip, so you will have plenty of time to socialize then."

"Farewell Senpai. I hope our relations remain cordial." Naoto said.

"As do I." I said as I left.

I went up and had my classes.

After that, I went home with the gang.

(11/06/10)

Tuesday...

I went with my daily schedule.

Around Lunch, after eating, I saw Naoto looking intensely at the direction of the Astornomy tower.

"Hey Nao-kun. What're you looking at?" I said.

"Hm?" She said, "Oh, my apologies... I was looking into the direction of the Astronomy tower... I saw a suspicious person take something strange beyond the bushes... I'd like to investigate, but I'm afraid it would seem impudent of me."

"If you want, I'll accompany you." I offered, "I'm done with my lunch, and all my buddies are upstairs."

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly..." She said shyly.

"No, I'm not doing anything!" I reassured her.

"Oh, thank you Senpai." She said.

I walked with her to the Astronomy tower.

"So, you into investigating stuff or are you just obsessive compulsive or something?" I said.

"Well, my family were inclined to Detective work, so you could call me one... Actually, if I may be so bold, I'm an ace Detective."

"Look at you, Detective Prince!" I said.

Her eyes narrowed, "There he is! The perp!"

"You sure?" I said.

"Definite."

"No shizz." I said.

Cato was walking towards us.

"Hey Cato. We were on our way to the Astronomy tower. What were you up to?" I said.

"Hmph. I dunno. What were you up to?" He asked arrogantly.

"I just told you." I said.

"Well, I just told you too." He said.

"No you didn't." I said.

"My word against yours." He said, then left.

Naoto shook her head, "Not very nice, is he?"

"You could expect more friendliness from a man-eating bear."

We went around to the bushes where she spotted Cato.

All that was in the bushes were a tattered green bomber jacket with dis-attach sleeves and a pair of broken glasses.

"Jin..." I muttered.

"Well, looks like there's nothing to see here... I am sorry to have dragged you around, Minato-san." Naoto said.

"You go on ahead, Naoto." I said.

"You sure?" She said.

"Er, a Detective always has to be thorough." Although, it was an excuse to give Jin at least a respectable burial.

"Your dedication inspires me." Naoto said, "I shall look around some more." She went to snoop around.

I used that time to build a small shrine and buried the clothes beneath it. I placed the spectacles on the shrine.

The bell rang.

"There's the bell. Naoto let's go." I said.

"Please go ahead." Naoto said.

I shrugged and went up.

Professor Peter gave out hints on where the School Trip is going to be.

It had an English name and it was on either North America or in England.

After the class, I went home with Minako and Junpei.

* * *

**(11/07/10)**

**_Wednesday_**

Today Minako, Kenji, Rio, Fuuka and I decided to attend badminton practices since it'd been some time since we attended.

Fuuka was apprehensive as she seemed to want to ask me something.

I decided that, due to Fuuka's crippling shyness, that I was going to have to ask.

"So, what's on your mind, Fuuka?" I said as we took a water break.

"Nothing, Minato-kun..." She said.

"You know you could talk about anything to me." I said as I took a long drink.

"Okay..." She said shyly, "It's Lee-kun..."

"Ah..." I mused, "Of course."

"I mean, I try my best to give hints to him, but he seems utterly oblivious." she said.

"Guys these days, you need to be frank. Men are simple. We can't be trained! All that 'men are from Venus' crap-"

"Actually, it's 'men are from Mars'." Fuuka corrected.

"Yeah, well, give him a call." I said.

"Pardon me?"

"A call. Come on." I said.

"O-okay..." She said as she dialled Lee's number.

"Put it on loudspeaker." I said and she pressed the button.

"Gekkoukan Western Dormitory, how may I direct your call." The Receptionist said.

"H-Hello, this is Fuuka Yamagishi calling for Lee Aida." Fuuka said.

"Please hold."

"Be assertive!" I whispered.

She nodded.

"This is Lee. Who's calling this time of day?" Lee's voice said.

"S-sorry, this is-"

I mouthed, be assertive!

"Fuuka. This is Fuuka." She said nonchalantly and winked at me.

"Oh, hey Fuuka! Is everything alright?" He said.

"Couldn't be better. H-How's your wounds?" Fuuka said.

"Well, still holding up." Lee said.

She looked at me.

"Tell him that you enjoyed hanging out with him."

"I enjoyed hanging out with you." She said to Lee.

"Why thank you!" Lee said.

"Ask him out!" I hissed.

She shook her head and mouthed, _no_!

"Do it." I whispered, "Come on!"

"I was thinking... We should hang out more often." She said.

"Really? Any place you have in mind?" Lee asked.

"There is a, uh, new bistro in town. It has a great art gallery and has amazing reviews... So, I was thinking if Friday was possible?"

"Oh, Friday?" Lee said uncertainly.

"Uh, would Saturday be better?" Fuuka said hopefully.

"Actually, the thing is-"

I grabbed the phone and ended the call.

"What are you doing, Minato-kun?" Fuuka said.

"He was blowing you off." I said simply.

"He wasn't..." Fuuka said as she blushed, then she tried calling again.

"Don't. He'll be expecting you to call, and if you don't, he'll be the one to call." I said.

"How would you know?" She asked curiously.

"Because that's how guys like Lee operate." I said, "If you want Lee to like you, then you'll need to listen and do what I say."

"Okay...?" She said.

"Just listen to me. In your heart, you know that I know what I'm talking about." I said.

The phone beeped.

"He's calling! What should I do?" Fuuka asked excitedly.

"It's your call." I said.

"Okay, I'll answer."

"Pick up the phone and say, 'Hey Yu-kun!'"

"But why would I-"

"Just do it." I said.

She nodded and picked up the phone, "Hello Yu-kun!"

"Oh, uh... No. This is Lee."

"I'm sorry!" Fuuka said with an exaggerated voice and winked at me.

"Perfect!" I whispered.

"Who's Yu-kun?" Lee said.

"Some guy I'm dating." I coached her, "Nothing serious though."

"Some guy I'm dating. Nothing serious." she said.

"Oh, okay. Phew." Lee said.

"Hold on a sec." I whispered.

"Hold on a sec." She said.

"No problem." He said.

She put the phone down.

"What now?" Fuuka asked.

"Now, you wait thirty minutes. If he's still on when you pick up, he might be into you." I said, "No one in their right mind would wait thirty minutes for someone they're trying to blow off."

"No pressure, but you'd better be right." She said.

"Hey, trust me. If you follow what I say, Lee will be eating out of the palm of your hand."

"I don't want him eating out of the palm of my hand." She said, "Lee is a well-bred, well-rounded man."

"Whatever." I said as I smiled, "You like Lee and you want him to love you, so that part's obvious. Now you need to assert your love for him! Unless you want to see someone else snatch him away?"

"No!" She said.

"Then do everything I've told you." I said, "If he's still on, you must promise to do what I say. Minako would help."

I looked at my watch after a while.

"It's been after 30 minutes." I said.

She looked at her phone, "He's still on!"

She pouted, "Deal."

"Always make an impression." I said as I ended the call.

"Hey-"

"Don't worry, he'll call again in a few seconds." I said, "Ms. Toriumi is glaring at us."

In a few seconds, the phone beeped.

"Amazing! Who are you, The Oracle at Delphi?"

We played badminton and after that, I spent the next remaining Badminton sessions until Saturday tutoring her.

* * *

**(11/11/10)**

**Sunday...**

Today, we prepared to go to our mystery field trip.

After I prepared my luggage and changed some of my yen into either dollars and pound. (I still had leftover from my days of fighting from Tartarus.) and a formidable amount of it too.

After that, I packed some animal crackers and some drinks woth Minako from the nearest Mini-mart.

I reminded Junpei and he forced himself to pack up.

After all that, I decided to turn in, rather excited for tomorrow's events, which are sure to be one hell of a trip.

* * *

**_A/N: hey everyone! I made Naoto into Mitsuru's cousin. They talk alike and it makes sense. Sue me. :)_**

**_Also, where do you think the trip is gonna be at? Put it on your review if you have a pretty good idea!_**

**_Reminder: remember to vote in the poll if you can!_**


	32. School Trip

(11/12/10)

* * *

**Monday**...

I awoke early in the morning and got ready. Truth be told, I was so excited with today that I couldn't get enough sleep. But as I took a bath, I thought I'd get enough of it on our way to wherever the hell we were going.

I got my luggage, a giant blue travelling backpack, and set it in the living room and ate some cereal with Leah and Akihiko. A little while later, Minako came knocking.

"Hey guys!" She greeted cheerfully as Leah opened the door, "Hey Minato!"

"Someone's awfully cheerful today." I said as I munched on my bacon.

"Why shouldn't I be cheerful?" She said as she set her khaki trolley down with mine, "Thanks Leah!" She said after Leah handed her a bowl of Froot Loops with cold cereal.

"So, where's Junpei?" Minako asked.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him up yet." Akihiko said.

"Could it be possible he woke up early and got there first?" I said.

The guys looked at me and we all laughed at the thought.

"Nah, he's probably still asleep..." Leah said, still tearing up with laughter, "I'll go wake him up!"

She went upstairs as we chatted lightly, until we heard a thud and an almighty scream.

"What happened?" I asked as Leah went down.

"Oh, he opened the door and I told him to get ready." Leah said.

"And?" Minako said.

"Oh, he said he'll sleep for five more minutes and I grabbed him, threw him on the shower and turned it on." Leah shrugs.

"Ouch, he must be freezing his butt off..." Akihiko said.

"I know right?" Leah said dryly.

Junpei later came down, bleary eyed, shivering and fully dressed.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Leah said brightly.

"Good morning, sunshine..." Junpei muttered mockingly in Leah's voice.

"What was that?" Leah said sharply.

"Good morning, Leah!" Junpei said mirthlessly, adding a gleaming smile.

"Good." Leah said.

"You ready, Junpei?" Minako said.

"Am I?" He said excitedly as he opened his big duffel bag, revealing a rather plentiful amount of cameras.

"Now that's a lot of cameras." I said.

"I guess I know where the stereotypical Japanese tourist was born..." Minako said, "Some Westerners must've seen Junpei abroad..."

"Now all he needs is a pair of thick glasses." Akihiko mused.

"You going with us Senpai?" Junpei said, "Oh yeah, you can't!" He said and laughed jovially.

"Hmph. Whatever." Akihiko said as he read Iwatodai News.

After eating, we said goodbye to the duo.

"Bye guys. Bring something back for me, okay? Not a shirt though..." Leah said.

"Sure. What do you want, Leah-nee?" Minako asked.

"Hmmm... Either a Yankees baseball cap or a baseball shirt. Or just anything from the Yankees." Leah said.

Minako made a disgusted sound, "Yankees stuff? Sorry, I'm not a fan of the Yankees, but I'll get you one anyway." She said as she dragged her trolley out the door.

"Senpai? Anything you want?" I said

"Get me some protein supplements. I'd love to test out the difference between Japanese and American brand supplements." Akihiko said

"Okay, I'll grab some if I see any." I said.

"C'mon Senpai! I know you just want to grow out your man-boobs!" Junpei said.

"What are you talking about?!" Akihiko said hotly.

"C'mon, Leah-nee would still love you even if they're small!"

Akihiko's face looked bewildered as he looked ready to punch Junpei in the face.

"Quan's here!" Minako said as she pointed an SUV where a man with blazing ginger hair drove while a red-headed kid waved from the window.

"Bye guys!" I said.

"Seeya later!" Minako said.

"Have a safe trip!" Leah said.

"Be safe." Akihiko said.

"Play nice, you two." Junpei said as Akihiko turned red in the face.

"You little-"

But we couldn't hear as Quan's car pulled up. Quan had offered to pick us up with his father, since the meeting place was past our house.

We entered the SUV. Quan rode shotgun beside Professor Peter as Pinky sat behind Quan. Minako took a seat beside Pinky as Junpei and I took our places in the back of the SUV, with Mnako's trolley.

"G'morning guys!" Quan said jovially.

"Hello guys!" Pinky chimed.

"Wotcha, fellows? Glad to see you guys turned up!" Professor Peter said amiably.

After greeting them as well, we set off.

We chatted about some random stuff.

"Where are we going exactly, Prof?" Junpei said.

"Ah, tis a mystery Junpei!" Professor Peter said, "The game is afoot."

"Where are we goin' Professor?" Pinky asked, "This isn't the way to the meeting place!"

"We're picking up your friends Kenji and Rio, remember?" Professor Peter said kindly.

"Oh yeah!" Pinky said.

We went in Kenji's neighborhood and went by his house.

Rio and Kenji were in Kenji's from the lawn, texting and talking.

Quan opened the window, stuck his head out and waved like he did a while ago, until he fell back choking on something.

Pinky responded quickly by slapping him hard on the back.

He had a coughing fit, until he finally took a deep breath.

"What was that?" Junpei said.

"I...swallowed a bug." Quan said, "Happened twice today."

"You should stop doing that." Minako said, "Otherwise, we'd be calling you Rango."

"Hahahaha! Good one!" Professor Peter said, "That makes it twice now, son."

"Dad!" Quan cried.

Professor Peter honked three times as Kenji and Rio went out. Though Rio's knapsack was considerably bigger than Kenji's, she had no trouble carrying it as Kenji panted with every step.

Rio took a seat beside Minako and Pinky as Kenji opened the back door and entered.

Then Sachi, Kenji's little sister, rushed towards the car.

"Big bro, you forgot your wallet." Sachi said.

"Oh, thanks Sach." Kenji said, "Bye now, kiddo, don't do anything with Nikko-kun that I wouldn't approve of."

Sachi slapped him in the back, "You filthy hypocrite! What about you and Rio-chan thrashing about the house like a pair of eels?!"

Rio turned pink.

"Yeah, yeah... Rio and I snog about the house, big deal!" Kenji said, "While you're at it, why not mention that I sometimes sleep on the couch with Rio-chan as well? Or maybe that I cook for her too?" Kenji said crossly, "Or that we snuggle in the kotatsu, why don't you tell them all about it!?"

Rio sank to her seat with every word.

"You're such a mean big brother!" Sachi said as she stuck out her tongue and ran back inside the Tomochika residence.

After that drama, Professor stepped on the gas as we played some music on the way.

We arrived on the Iwatodai station and parked in the Private Parking area, owned by the Kirijo Group.

There were three school buses parked, Ms. Toriumi's Camry, Mr. Edogawa's Volkswagen, Mr. Ono's Honda Civic and Mitsuru's Bently. Other cars included those of the faculty and those old enough to drive.

The students were hanging in the parking lot, chatting and waiting for the scheduled train to arrive; it'd be a good forty minutes before it would arrive, then we would go to the nearest airport and go to wherever we were going.

Yuko, Kaz and the rest of the team were warming up, while Bebe and Hidetoshi chatted lightly. Everyone else seemed calm.

Minako, Pink and Rio went to meet with Fuuka and Yukari, leaving us bots to look for Lee.

we found Lee hanging out behind the bus labelled "WESTERN BOYS DORM", with some of his underclassmen from his dorm.

"Hey guys! Over here!" Lee hailed us as we went to him.

He glared at the guys beside him, "Move over, Richard, let them sit down, asshole." He hissed.

"Y-Yes Big Boss." The sandy-haired underclassmen said sycophantically.

We sat next to Lee.

"Sorry... I have to look after these morons for the trip..." he said resentfully, "Adachi, go grab these guys some Cielo Mists! And be quick about it!" he snapped at a kid with messy black hair.

"Y-Yes sir!" he said nervously as he scrambled to the nearest vending machine.

"Where do you guys reckon we're going?" Lee asked.

"Probably somewhere boring." Junpei said.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Quan muttered, "Not that I know anything! Pop's been yapping about it at home."

"Is that so? Hmhm... So long as Fuuka-chan's near me, I'd be happy." He smiled wryly, "She's a firework."

"So, you and Fuuka-chan, eh?" Junpei teased, "You sly dog, you! Making moves behind our backs!"

Lee blushed as his underclassmen congratulated him.

"She's not like the other women I've met... She actually makes me work for her love." Lee said, "I mean, I never expected that from Fuuka!"

"Good one, Boss!" Lee's kohai said.

"Quit kissing my ass and get me some peeled grapes from the bus, Woozy!" Lee barked at a short-haired guy wearing glasses.

"Yes sir! Whatever you say!" He ran and got to it.

Lee sighed as he lit a cigarette and smoked.

"What am I gonna do with these idiots... They're driving me up a wall..." Lee muttered.

"Lee- you smoking?" Ms. Toriumi shouted.

"Yes Miz Toriumi, I am."

"Well, put it out!" Ms. Toriumi hissed.

"Why?"

"It's against school rules!"

"Well, we ain't in school!" Lee retorted.

"Put it out! NOW!

"Sheesh, alright, alright..." Lee muttered as he stomped it out.

The underclassmen arrived with the goods

We all ate the food, as the train announced its presence by sounding the horn.

As we walked towards the exit, a red SUV pulled up and rolled down the window.

It was Quan's mom.

"Quan, you forgot your vitamins." She called out.

Quan turned as red as his hair, "Thanks mum..." He mumbled.

Quan's mum kissed him on the forehead, "Have fun, baby boy."

"Mom!" Quan complained.

She saw the Professor and kissed him too, "Don't you go boozing around while you're "there"!"

"I won't, dear." He said and kissed her again.

"Way to go, Professor P.!" Lee cheered as Quan's mum drove away.

"Thanks, I-" Professor said, "Are you smoking? Put it out! That's an insult, I'm a teacher!"

Lee stomped his smoke sheepishly.

We rode the bullet train to the Narita International Airport.

It took but thirty minutes or so. Reminded me of my trip going to Iwatodai.

We went out and walked to the airport, which was relatively nearby.

When we went in, we had to pass a detector.

"If we passed that, would they see our bones and innards?" Junpei said.

"Fool, that's an X-ray." Minako, who reappeared beside us with the rest of the girls, said.

"Wrong answer. That's a metal detector." I said.

"Man, why'd you have to keep busting my balls?" Minako complained.

"Hey Minato-kun!" Yukari said.

"Hey Yukari-chan!" I said.

"A metal detector, eh? To see if we're packing bombs?" Junpei said loudly.

Lee, Kenji, Quan and I clamped his mouth shut. A guard glared threateningly at us.

"You're not allowed to say "bomb" in an airport, Stupei." Yukari said.

"Why can't you say "bomb"?" Minako asked loudly.

"Zip it!" Yukari and I said at the same time.

"Please remove all metals." The guard said.

We removed all the metals and passed.

"You'd get busted for a bomb threat." I said after we passed the detectors.

"Wait... If I'm playing "Bomb" by Chris Breezy, featuring Wiz Khalifa, and my earphones come undone, who'd get arrested? Me or Chris Breezy?" Minako asked.

"I dunno... Chris Breezy I guess...?" I said, "Because he was the one who said 'bomb'."

The guard went forward, "Sir, you say that word one more time and I'll arrest you."

I nodded sheepishly and pulled Minako's ear.

"Jerk!" She spat at me.

After realizing that I forgot to get my watch, I went back to get it.

"Sir, I'm afraid no firearms allowed in the airport." The guard said to a familiar pint-sized androgynous version of myself.

"Is that so?" Naoto's cool voice said, "Can't there be an exception? I'm a Detective, a member of the illustrious Shirogane family, and a cousin of the heiress of the Kirijo group."

The guard looked at Naoto dubiously.

"That's true." Mitsuru's equally cool voice said.

"I'm sorry Madame, but Airport rules are very clear from here. I'm afraid that I cannot allow this." The guard bowed.

"I see..." Mitsuru said, and turned to a dark-skinned man beside her wearing a suit, "Bernard, kindly take care of this."

"Very well, Madame." The man bowed.

Naoto looked wistfully at her 38. revolver before handing it to Mitsuru's butler.

"Ah, Minato-san." She extended her hand and I shook it.

"Hey Nao-kun. Hey Mitzy." I greeted, "You're not coming with us?"

"Yes and no. I have business to in New York and-" her eyes widened.

"Aha! So we are going to New York!" I said.

"Looks like the secret is out." Mitsuru mumbled, "Anyway, I will only be until the Airport, but don't worry... The accommodations are Kirijo Group owned. And there's a world class hot springs. I stylized it after a wonderful inn I stayed when I had my trip to Inaba to visit the Shirogane Estate."

"Well, shall we go?" I said.

"My apologies. I must check in with the teachers. Naoto, you go with them." Mitsuru said.

"I'd rather go with you, if you don't mind." Naoto said.

"What's this? You don't want to socialize with Minato?" Mitsuru said.

"Of course I would!" Naoto said, standing defiantly at Mitsuru.

"Then go. A little socializing won't hurt you." Mitsuru said.

Naoto mumbled in assent as she turned to me, "Shall we go?"

I nodded as we said goodbye to Mitsuru.

"So, Naoto, do your parents approve of going to New York by yourself?"

Naoto's face darkened, "My parents died in a car accident."

I felt bad, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize..."

"It's okay. That was a long time ago." Naoto said sadly.

"If it's any consolation, my parents died the same way as well." I said.

Naoto looked at me and I sensed we shared a kindred spirit.

We found the gang in one of the cafés.

I was about to go in, when I had a wicked idea. The students of Gekkoukan were suppose to wear school uniforms to the airport, but Naoto wore the boy's uniform instead. And she looked strikingly similar to me. At school, I had more or less a few first years calling me Naoto at some point.

"Nao-kun, please go in first." I said.

"But-" she said, then her eyes narrowed, "You're not insinuating"

"C'mon, it'll be fun." I said.

She considered complaining, but she just nodded and went in. I went in with her and hid behind some sort of tropical ficus.

"Minato, over here!" Junpei waved.

"Come drink with us!" Lee said as he waved an unopened can of NesLo coffee.

"Drinks all around!" Quan cried.

Naoto sat down beside Yukari.

"Nice hat." Kenji said.

"Th-thanks." Naoto said.

"Did you get shorter...?" Rio squinted, "Nah, must be my imagination."

The guys seemed sold, and Naoto even laughed a bit at Junpei's corny jokes, but strangely, Minako and Yukari kept looking suspiciously at her.

"What's wrong, Yuka-tan?" Junpei said, still in a giggle fit, "Get it?"

"I do." Yukari said solemnly.

"...yeah." Minako said.

Rio raised an eyebrow, "What's with you two? You two are acting strange."

"I dunno... Something doesn't feel right..." Yukari said.

"Yeah..." Minako grunted.

Since the two looked ready to attack Naoto, I decided to show up before it turns into a scrap.

"Hey guys!" I said.

Goodness, how they jumped. Junpei actually tripped and fell over Lee, but Lee didn't spill his drink.

Everyone, except Yukari and Minako, had their jaws dropped.

"Man, that joint was tight! I'm seeing two Minatos!" Lee said.

"That's because there ARE two Minatos!" Junpei said.

"No Stupei, it's pretty obvious THAT," Yukari pointed at me, "is the real Minato."

"Yeah. Doppelganger there is too short and Minato isn't that white." Minako said.

"Guys, meet my friend, Naoto." I said.

"Pleasure." Naoto said.

"Man, they look so alike that even I, Minato's best friend, mistook them for one another." Junpei said.

"Dude, you'd mistake your own father for any drunken boozer holding a beer in the city." Kenji said.

Junpei narrowed his eyes, "Touché."

"But admittedly, they do look really alike." Kenji admitted.

Naoto huffed indignantly, "Well, yes, but other than the hair and the skin hue, we look nothing-"

But everyone started a heated debate about Naoto and I.

"The hair looks so alike!" Quan said.

"Not to mention her nose." Kenji said.

"And the uniform!" Pinky said.

"Pinky, you dummy, everyone's uniform looks the same." Quan said.

"... Alright, fine! Let's settle this, whoever noticed Naoto wasn't Minato, except Minako and Yukari, raise your hands." Lee said.

Adachi, Wu Zhi and Richard raised their hands.

"You fucking Judases! You've noticed that and you never told me!" Lee said, "How'd you know anyway?"

"S-sorry Big Boss... Naoto's our classmate." Richard said.

"Ah, yes. Richard Mueller, Airo Adachi and Woozy Mu. Pleasure." Naoto said.

The P.A. boomed, "Flight 614A begin boarding."

"Ah, that's our flight." Naoto said.

We all stood up and went to the boarding area. After stamping our passports, we climbed the plane, until a red headed woman accosted me.

"Get the group and head to the first class cabin and lock after yourselves."

"Yeah, sure." I said.

I whispered it to the gang and we snuck in the pressurized chaos.

We shut the latch and locked it.

It was absolutely fabulous. There were couches, beds, and even a jacuzzi. A wide-screen TV was in the very front.

There were few people, including the teachers, student council members, including Hidetoshi, who was fast asleep, and Mitsuru, who was comfortably sitting on her seat, and a wierd guy with a guitar.

"Pretty fancy, eh?" Mitsuru said.

"Great place. But wouldn't the others complain of favoritism?" I said.

"No one will know. Right?" Mitsuru said to the teachers.

"If anyone asks, only the top students with high marks are here." Miss Toriumi said as she enjoyed a cake.

"Yes... This place gives me enough light for my research." Mr. Edogawa said.

"I agree. The music selection is stellar as well." Professor Peter said.

The teachers mumbled assent.

"Whoa! This place is just huge!" Fuuka gasped.

"Yeah... Like the Boeing I jumped out of." Lee mumbled.

"Yeah Boss..." An awed voice said.

"Wha- I can't seem to get a break from you morons!" Lee cried, "Whatever, just sit anywhere but next to me."

After putting my pack in the compartment, I noticed Yukari having trouble putting hers. I quickly helped her put it.

"Thanks." She said and sat down at the end of the three seats.

I took a seat in the window as Minako looked balefully at me.

"Oh, want to sit here?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Okay." I said and let her sit.

Fuuka and Lee sat together, as did Rio and Kenji, Pinky and Quan and Junpei said with the Kouhai at the last aisle, which had four seats. Lee told Junpei he could boss them around.

I sat in the middle of Yukari and Minako.

We bantered with each other and watched a few films.

After which, the strange man stood up and went to the Economy class.

The P.A. sounded, "Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. We're flying up from 20,000 feet, moving up to 30,000 feet and we have clear skies all the way to New York. Now for some in-flight entertainment... One of our first class passengers would like to sing you a song inspired by one of our coach passengers...and since we let our first class passengers do, pretty much, whatever they want. Here he is."

The man began singing a very touching song about growing old together, that actually made Fuuka, Yukari, Rio, Ms. Toriumi, Mitsuru and Pink cry.

While he was singing, there was a minor scuffle, but it sounded well. The man did not return though.

"Wait, we're going to New York?! That's my turf!" She cried.

I was forced to listen to her promising to show me every place she hung out.

I listened to music and it was top-notch.

After a while, I began to feel drowsy and fell asleep.

After some time, like a few hours, give or take, I woke up and found both my shoulders bearing the weight of Minako and Yukari's heads as they rested on either side of my shoulders.

All was well.

* * *

**A/N: Gah! Finally.**

**A/N: I have a request for those who favorite and followed the story; Please review. Even at least one review would be nice. Pretty please? But of course, I find your reviews great.**

**Also, everyone please vote at the poll. Very important later on.**

**And how does everyone feel about Makoto Yuki to be Minato's name in Springs of Birth? As for me, it'll always be Minato. **

**Atlus sure sucks with naming characters lately, and Makoto Yuki is their all time low.**

**Also, I don't know much about Japan, but I would like to. If any are from the area of Tokyo, please correct me on my geographical errors. And I made up a hotel, so citizen's from N.Y. please don't give me any grief.**

**Also, starting today, I have decided that I will answer FAN REVIEWS. So, if you guys have any questions, feel very free to ask and I'll reply via Author's notes.**

**UPDATE: 5/19/13**

**-changed a few grammatical errors and spelling errors.**

**-added a few lines to Kenji's rant.**

**-added a line in the "bomb threat" scene.**

**-corrected Naoto's line about socializing.**

**-added a line on the 'Wedding Singer' reference.**

**-changed 'Tokyo International Airport', to 'Narita Intnernational Airport'. credits and much thanks to KazuyaYamura for the big FYI to the Cipher.**

**Anyone who'd like to make mince meat out of the maestro for any errors I made, then put it in your review and I'll give you full credits.**


	33. Apple Juice

_ (11/12/10)_

* * *

_Same day..._

After falling asleep again, I finally woke up and it was right around 2 P.M.

"Arriving in New York. E.T.A. ten minutes." The pilot said.

Minako yawned beside me, "Here already...?" She said thickly.

I nodded and nudged Yukari, "We're here."

She smiled at me and rested her head on my shoulders.

After a rather rocky landing, we were finally allowed to go out. The boys and I helped the girls take their stuff out. Lee barked at his underclassmen to carry our stuff. I didn't mind the least, since my head was befuddled. And the underclassmen actually fought for who'd carry the most luggage.

The teachers came out first, followed by Mitsuru and then the sudent council and, lastly, us.

Cato and his gang, who sat in the A row, eyed us suspiciously, but everyone else assumed we were there because we were the top of our class. The rest were too sleepy to notice.

We went out of the plane and out the J.F.K. International Airport.

I took a deep breath, "So, this is the smell of the Big Apple...it smells more like smog and hotdogs."

"Actually, that's just the smell of Queens." Minako said.

Kenji has a camera and recorded everyone.

"Hey New Yorker! I just got here-" he says cheerfully to a stout man with his carefully used English, a culmination of all the classes we attended with the Professor. We had long agreed to speak English at all times here.

"Fuck you. Go home, we don't want you here." He snarls and leaves.

"Whoa, the people here aren't very nice..." Kenji said, deleting the video.

"Welcome to New York." Minako muttered as she walked towards the Buses we reserved.

Our plan today was to head for the hotel and then go to our tour.

It took about a few minutes for us to head to the island of Manhattan, where the Hotel was.

Kirijo Luxury Hotel... It was a magnificent, elegant and quaint place. The front lawn was an open café and the lobby was even more elegant. It must've cost a large fortune in yen to make this place.

Everyone was given a card of where their rooms were. With it, was a map of the hotel.

There were loads of floors. About two dozen or so.

Our rooms were at the penthouse suite, which we didn't mind in the least, since that's where the best rooms were.

"Oh wow!" Fuuka exclaimed, "They have a hot springs here!"

"Ooooh! Let's all promise to go there later!" Yukari said.

"That's a dealio!" Minako sighed.

Junpei and I stiffened, remembering last year's close shave. And I was quite sure if either Akihiko or Ryouji were here, they'd stiffen as well. We had our fair share of hot springs.

"Forget that, they have a gym here! I'm gonna work out later." Kaz, who was beside us, said.

"Dude, how many track suits you have?!" Kenji cried.

"You can bet on that! I'm excited to try the gym!" Rio declared.

"Not you too, babe..." Kenji muttered.

"Here we are." Yuko said.

Lee sighed, "This is where I'm due. Bye dudes." He said and barked for the underclassmen to hurry.

After they went down to their floors, it was only us remaining.

We stopped in the topmost floor.

"Sweet suite!" Minako cried.

"Haha, nice word-play!" Fuuka said.

"Very clever, Minako-chan." Naoto said.

The place had several rooms. I took the third room to the left as everyone chose their own rooms.

I threw my bag and hurried out with the others; the tour was about to begin.

After dragging Junpei from the comfy air-foam mattress, we went down.

We rode the service to the American Museum of Natural History.

"Great. Our first trip abroad, and the first place we tour is in a stuffy museum?!" Junpei cried

"Junpei, history is a great subject! Well, at least Sengoko-era history is." Mr. Ono said.

"I was expecting some sort of inland resort!"

"Iori, this is a field trip, not a vacation," Mitsuru's stern voice said.

She turned to everyone else, "I expect you all to be in your best behavior. Anyone caught misbehaving will be punished most severely."

Everyone nervously nodded.

Mitsuru said goodbye as she rode on a Rolls-Royce.

We entered the museum. It was quite modern than one might think of a museum.

"So, if we stay here, the exhibits would turn to life?" Junpei wondered.

"Don't be stupid, they were transferred to the Smithsonian." Minako said, "I don't see Robin Williams here..."

We toured the museum. Contrary to popular belief, museums aren't boring at all. Well, in my mind, it's an adventure to the past.

Junpei was trying to find that tablet from Night at the Museum, while Minako kept telling him that they moved it to D.C., as per the latest Night at the Museum movie.

"I'm gonna go find Rexy the dinosaur..." Minako said as she craned her neck.

"I'll look for Dexter, the monkey." Junpei said.

"Junpei, it's not nice to call your brother a monkey, even if you ARE one." Kenji said as the crowd roared with laughter.

We spent the next few hours gazing and picturing displays. When it eventually ended, we went back to the buses.

Our next destination is the Grand Central Station.

"Wow... So this is the Grand Central Station... Makes Iwatodai Station seem like a shrine. It's so noisy here!" Quan said.

"Well, you certainly are adding to the noise." Professor Peter joked.

"Aw, gimme a break, Pops..." Quan muttered.

"Forget noisy, it's so white! Why is it so white?" Junpei asked.

"Oh my goodness, Junpei, you can't just ask why something is white! That is NOT okay!" Minako said.

Minako then squealed with delight as she bought a few bottles of Apple Juice.

We toured the area, took a few pictures and got in a train and found out the interiors and whatnot. We also met the driver of the train. Unlike Japan, where groping perverts are prevalent as flies in a pile of dung, the passengers seem more or less reluctant of physical contact. Hell, they even avoid each other's gaze.

After doing everything needed, we all elected to go back.

It was a rocky trip back, considering it was rush hour. When we did, we collapsed in our living room. Lee tagged along with us.

After taking a short nap with everyone (and having a quick drink from the kitchen,) Minako's voice woke me up.

"Goddamn it!" Minako cursed from the kitchen.

"Uh oh..." I said while rubbing my eyes nonchalantly.

"Who drank my apple juice?!" Minako asked furiously.

No one paid any attention. That, or everyone was too intimidated by Minako.

"What, you guys deaf now?" Minako said, "Who drank my goddamned apple juice?!"

"Hey, Minako, quit cussing!" I said while sitting up.

"I put a big, red ass sign that-"

"Minako, quit cussing, this ain't Jersey Shore!" I said.

"However, we are pretty close to the actual Jersey Shore." Naoto added.

She composed herself a bit, "I put a big RED sign that said, "Do NOT drink me!""

"No one drank your apple juice..." Kenji said.

"Then why has it been drained?" Minako asked.

"Hey... maybe it... evaporated or something?" Kenji said as he sat down.

"I'll slap you! Don't you get on my bad side!" Minako warned.

"Girl, it's not like it's a bottle of Hennessy or nothing, it's just some funky-ass apple juice!" Lee said.

"This is MY funky-ass apple juice! You don't see me touching anyone else's stuff!" Minako snarled.

Junpei coughed something that suspiciously sounded like, _bullshit!_

"Minako..." Yukari said wearily, "Junpei drank your apple juice."

"Hold up!" Junpei, who was sprawled on the soft couch, jumped up, "You blaming this on me?!"

"Why'd you drink it?!" Minako spat.

"Wait-"

"I don't want to get infected by your cooties." Minako said.

"Did you see me drink it?!" Junpei asked Yukari.

"I didn't have to! You asked about it." She said back.

"I put it back after asking!" Junpei said, "D'you have any proof?"

"I said I didn't need to see you drinking it to know it was you!" Yukari spat back.

They began to argue loudly.

"Hey now..." I said, "This isn't the ghetto, this is a respectable establishment.

"Although there's a possibility-" I began.

"SMALL possibility." Junpei supplied.

"-of Junpei drinking your apple juice, but nobody saw him. YOU didn't see him do it, so why don't you-"

"No fair, you're totally on his side!" Minako protested.

"I'm on no one's side. It's been a long trip, I'm suffering from severe jetlag and I have extreme vertigo from being up in the penthouse room. It's been a mighty long day, I'm tired and I'm very sure I'm not the only one. All I want is for everyone to shut up and solve this thing. Now, ask Junpei if he drank it. If he did, kick him in the balls and throw him out the window-"

"What?!"

"-if not, then quash it." I finally said.

Minako glared at me.

I swept my arm at Junpei, "Ask him."

"Did you drink my apple juice?" She asked with contained rage.

"Did you? We'd like to know!" Rio said.

"Did you?!" Minako asked again.

"Nope." He said slowly.

I clapped my hands, "Answered. Done deal, case closed."

"Come on Minako, let me buy you some apple juice..." Rio said.

They went to the door.

Minako glared back at all of us, "Well, one of you M.F.'s drank it and I'm tired of it! You better not touch any more of my stuff!" She said and closed the door hard.

"Quit slamming them doors!" Junpei snarled.

I kicked back on the La-Z boy chair, "Well, I know it wasn't me... I'm lactose intolerant." I said as I winked at Naoto, savoring the aftertaste of Minako's apple juice.

A little while later, after getting some more rest, I looked at my watch and it was 7:30 PM. I headed out of my room to the lounge area. Junpei, Naoto and the boys were hanging out, watching TV.

"The channels here are wierd!" Quan cried, "I can't find Animax anywhere!"

"Maybe cause it's America?" Junpei said.

"Hey guys!" I greeted.

"Yo bro!" Kenji said.

"Where are the ladies?" I asked.

"At the Gym." Lee said, "I'd go over there and break a sweat, but it'd seem creepy if I go alone. And these little girls don't want to go with me."

"Well, sorry dude. That stuff isn't my cup of tea." Junpei said.

"I apologize as well, Minato-san. A cup of tea is my only cup of tea."

"Nope, I finally found Animax and I wanna watch some Inuyasha." Quan said.

"After that, tune in to Fox when we arrive. I ain't missing The Walking Dead." Lee said as he grabbed a towel.

"Heck, I'll go with you." I said, "Kenji?"

"Uh..."

"What, afraid Rio could do more reps than you?" Lee sneered, "C'mon, let's go and work up a sweat."

Kenji sighed deeply, "Yeah, sure."

We suited up and went down to the Fitness Floor.

It was a utopia for fitness freaks. Here and there were bodybuilding equipment, exercise machines, treadmills, sandbags and fitness stuff I didn't knew exist, like kettleballs and balance poles.

People were doing things like "Zumba", "Taebo" and "Pilates"... Whatever those were, they looked painful, complicated and extremely effective at whatever they were meant to be.

On the west side, were fitness bars and a drink island. We had a feeling this was only but a taste of what lay on the floor.

"Damn, this looks scary..." Kenji muttered.

"Hey, there's the girls!" Lee cried.

The girls, Yuko included, were working out using stationary bikes. Kaz was lifting weights nearby. Cato and his gang were exercising a good distance away.

Cato was admiring his muscles (they were rather monstrous-looking) in the full-view mirrors. He seemed to be readying for something, like a fight.

"Enjoying your stay, Adonis?" Lee said in a faux and patronizing tone.

"Shut up, Lee." He said as he flexed his muscles some more.

Lee rolled his eyes, "Heeeya Fuuka! Looking fresh!" He said to Fuuka, who reappeared from wherever she went.

Fuuka gasped and slapped him.

"Owh!" Lee howled with pain. A red, hand shaped welt appeared instantly, "Yo, what was that for, eh?"

"Oh, sorry! The clientele here are rather... spirited. I thought you were making an off-color joke." Fuuka said.

"Then why didn't you just shrug it off?!" Lee said, "Argh! Forget that, point to me who's been bothering you and I'll send them six feet under."

"Hahaha, no, it's not us they've leered at." Fuuka said.

"I have diplomatic immunity in six different countries, one of which is Puerto Rico." Lee said.

"Are you trying to reassure me?" Fuuka sighed.

"No. If they so much as touch you... I will hunt them down, I will find them and I will kill them." Lee said with a dangerous tone.

Fuuka studied him nervously.

"Lee, you dumb-ass joker, quit monologuing and start working out!" Minako huffed from her bike.

"Uh, yeah, good plan." Lee said.

We began doing several workout regimes. While lifing dumb-bells, I noticed Cato flooring several opponents in the boxing ring. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered me, but I felt uneasy knowing Cato punches stronger and much more accurately.

Kenji was doing his own private contest with Lee. When he knew he couldn't possibly beat him in reps, he turned on Kaz, who left him in the dust. Then, he challenged me, and I beat him.

He checked his still lean arm.

"Dude, what's this all about?" I said.

"Sigh... Nothing gets by you..." Kenji said mournfully, "I wanted to beat at least one of you guys... To show Rio that I can be someone who's strong enough to defend her. I wanna be the best for her."

"I don't think she'd care about that." I said firmly, "In chess, the Queen defends the King."

His eyes brightened.

"Hey, Babes, thank goodness you're here," Rio's voice chimed, "Could you please open this? I can't do it myself." Rio said as she handed him a bottle of Rio Grande Bottled Water.

"Oh, sure thing." Kenji said as he opened the tight bottle with relative ease.

"Thanks so much! You're the strongest man on Earth!" She said as she kissed him in the cheek.

Kenji smiled dumbly. You could've knocked him down with a feather.

"You don't have to be better than others to be the best for the right person." I said.

"Who said that?" Kenji said dreamily.

"Me."

"What would you do?" He asked.

"I dunno... Maybe ask her for dinner later or something."

"Really? I'm all nervous..." He said.

"You only need twenty seconds of courage to reap a lifetime of rewards." I said.

Kenji nodded, "Good man."

After that, Kenji ran to Rio and hugged her for some weird reason.

"K-Kenji...!" She said in surprise, "I'm all sweaty!" She murmured angrily.

"I don't care. Rio, I want to invite you for dinner." He said nervously.

Rio blushed clearly, "Oh! Why of course!"

Lee stared stonily at the two, then he turned to Fuuka, "Hey, Yamaghishi-chan, I wanna invite you for dinner as well, want to come with?"

"Why, that would be lovely." Fuuka said shyly.

Minako and Yukari glared at me.

Almost immediately, I got a text from Minako.

_To: Minaaato_

_From: MeeNako_

_dude, want to go to dinner?_

_To: Meenako_

_From: Minaaato_

_uh, okay._

She smiled and winked playfully at me. She made the sign, 9:30, with her fingers.

Kenji pumped his fists and Lee jumped in joy when we later went back to our room. Junpei looked dejected.

"What's wrong, hero?" Lee asked him when the guys came back.

"Easy for you guys to say... You all have girlfriends, while mine is a thousand miles away." Junpei said.

"Well, she's worth waiting for." Kenji said.

"Yeah, whatever." Junpei said as he left for the juice bar.

"Whoa, he's pretty bummed out." Lee said.

"Got that right." I said.

Yukari passed to our spot

"Hey Minato! Hey guys!" She greeted.

"Hey Yukari-chan." We said in unison.

"So, Minato, I was hoping you'd come to dinner with me later. How does that sound?" She asked sweetly.

"Uh...Sorry, but someone's asked me out already." I said.

"Oh! So sorry to have put you out then..." She murmured and turned.

I held her shoulder, "But I'd like to ask you to go with me for dinner tomorrow. Just us."

She smiled,"I'd like that." And left.

The guys and I hit the showers and went back to our rooms.

Quan and Naoto were still there. Quan was wearing a suit and his hair was parted in the middle, making look like an überdweeb.

"Here comes the sun...?" Lee said.

"Shut up, Lee. I have dinner plans with Pinky."

Junpei scoffed and went to the lounge.

"What's up with Junpei?" He asked.

"Oh, believe me, we've been asking that question for a long time now." Kenji said.

I then got a message from Mitsuru.

-Cuba Hirare Ifugao Dominica Obel Rats Irate Ignorant So Complete Ongoing Manila Idiot Nap Goo Hex Ears Renege Expelliarmus

The meaning lies in the capital cities.

-tell Naoto to decrypt this.

"What the...?" I said, then I looked at Naoto, "Hey, Naoto, I've got a wierd message."

She ran up and went to my place.

"Ah... Smells like a case." She mused.

She scrunched up her face, "Ah, easiest encryption ever..."

She scribbled something on paper.

I looked at it and smiled at her, then at Junpei.

There was a knock.

Quan was about to get it.

"Hey, Quan, why not let Junpei take this?" I said.

"Huh? Uh, sure." Quan said.

"It's prolly one of your dates." Junpei said distractedly.

"Open the door, man!" I cried.

"All right, all right!" Junei cried, "But I don't know why you'd-"

He stopped midsentence as his jaw dropped.

Standing in front of him was a short, very pale and red-haired lady of Junpei's greatest nightmares. She wore a black, glittering gown that made her seem like wearing the night sky. She smiled as her orange hair swished back and forth.

"Ch-Chidori..." Junpei faltered and actually almost collapsed, but I managed to hold him up.

"Junpei, we better hurry or we'll be late for dinner." She said sweetly.

"S-Sure! Bye guys!" He said and left.

"Holy hell, I'm late as well!" I cried as I scrambled to get ready.

I went down with Lee and Quan.

Past the common area, where everyone who was single ate, was the couple's restaurant.

There were a considerable amount of couples inside. Chidori and Junpei were eating, looking euphoric.

I saw Minako and sat in front of her. Quan took a table beside us where Pinky was sitting.

Pinky laughed at Quan's hair and ruffled it back to the way it was.

"Hey! It took my Dad thirty minutes to fix my hair!"

Three tables away, Lee and Fuuka were smiling at each other.

I laughed and looked at Minako.

She didn't look like a diamond in the rough anymore. She was absolutely stunning. I think she went to see a stylist today. Her eyelashes were lined with mascara and her eyes were drawn with eyeliner.

She wore a red dress that looked simple, yet bold and elegant as well.

"Hey Minako. Wow, you look-" I was at a loss for words, "Just... Wow. You look fantastic."

She smiled, "Thanks Minato."

She hardly ever called me that, but it felt like a warm liquid dripping from my head to foot. I think she might finally see me more than a friend.

"Uh, so shall we eat?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, let's go." She said, "Yo, waiter- I mean, Maître D!"

The waiter came over. We order sizzling steaks, vegetarian salads, champagne and Cheese fondue.

We had a great time eating. Minako was, strangely enough, very sophisticated. It seemed unlike the usual Minako, who ate her wieght in food, was cutting her steak gently and eating with grace of a princess.

When I think about it, this seemed to be one of the few moments when Minako and I were alone. She's very sweet and caring that way, without people seeing her the way she is.

That night, I learned more about Minako than I did with several months.

She smiled sweetly and talked gently. I felt a weird feeling in my heart. I hadn't felt anything like it since... since I was with Yukari.

While Minako laughed at my joke, for some reason, I held Minako's hand.

She stopped abruptly and looked at me seriously. I thought if I'd made a mistake in doing that, when she held my hand too. Hers felt so warm.

The world didn't seem so alone now. It felt more vibrant and more lively than ever.

We talked about trivial stuff, but with her, it seemed important. Suddenly, I wanted her problems to be my problems as well. I wanted her hurts to be mine too. And for some unexplainable reason, I really wanted to grow old with her. I wanted to be with her in every waking moment of her existence.

The night seemed slower and I didn't mind the least. Though Minako and I had hung out countless times, it was hardly alone. Even then, it felt very different.

As the night grew older, and the people fewer, I found myself feeling something I haven't felt in a very, very, very long time.

Love.

I didn't see the annoying, quirky and upbeat girl who I called my best friend. In front of me was a lady who was ready to be loved. Romantically.

I thought about kissing her. The mood felt quite right. She looked at me with her glittering red eyes. Her sweet aroma filled my nose as I longed to get closer.

The candle-light flickered dimly, casting dancing shadows on the walls... the faint smell of roses from the elaborate flower vases... the sweet scent of French bread... the mood was definitely perfect. I decided to do it.

With bravery that came from nowhere, I boldly brushed her red bangs behind her ears as I stared into her soulful eyes. I made my move.

As my lips neared hers, my heartbeat increased dramatically. I thought it was because I was in the moment. Everything was getting hazy. Then, I toppled over and heard several surprised voices.

The next thing I knew, I was in my bed. My head had a splitting pain to it. I stood up and went out.

Lee, Naoto and the boys were outside watching the Walking Dead.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing up?" Lee asked frantically,

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I said quickly, "What the hell happened?"

"Oh, you passed out from dinner." Lee said simply, "You keeled over the table and Minako had to haul you up here."

I groaned. I blew my one chance. I blew it because I had to pass out like a wimp.

"I'm going to sleep." I mumbled.

"Night bro!" The boys shouted.

"Good night Minato-san." Naoto said.

"Sweet dreams, Minato." A familiar and sweet voice said.

I turned around to see Minako wearing a nightgown.

"Hey... Good night." I said, "See you tomorrow."

She smiled, "See you tomorrow."

I grinned, "Not if I see you first."

"We'll see." She said and closed the door.

I smiled and closed my door.

_So close..._ I thought_._

_So close... _Minako thought.

I took a deep breath and went to sleep.

* * *

**_A/N: hey guys! First day is done._**

**_The poll is still raging. Please, if you haven't voted yet, then now is the time to do so!_**

**_How did you guys feel about this chapter? Filled with love? Filled with romance?_**

**_Also, what did you feel about Minako and Minato's dinner? _**

**_Be sure to review, because I tend to update faster if you do._**

* * *

**Now to answer all your questions...**

**Question one:**

I've haven't been enjoying these new chapters lately. They've been a real slog-fest. Can we get off these side stories? If they're supposed to have a point to them I definitely don't see them. Let's progress the main story and character development. Also, please for the love of god. Those OC characters are not compelling. It's hard

to care for them.

P.S: One last criticism, you don't do it as much but don't mention or do stuff like put in Skyrim or ATLUS. It really takes away from this fictional world. It might seem really neat or funny but it just makes me cringe.

**I'm sorry you think so. Let me assure you that I was writing from the heart. But what sidestories are you talking about? Be specific. All these "sidestories" are important later on. If I rush it, it wouldn't come out right. And who's to say that it's not a part of the main story? And if you haven't noticed, the characters are developing right before your eyes.**

**Yes, I do admit that my OC's are rather... plentiful, but only because the P3 cast lacks any other interesting characters from the school other than the cast and Kenji and Rio.**

**and your last statements did not make any sense to me at all. What on earth are you talking about?**

**Nevertheless, I thank you for taking the time to say something bout my story. It helps in more ways than you think.**

**next!**

Why'd you put Adachi in there? I freaked for a second -.-"

More importantly, why New York!? D:

**Sorry Tammy. London and New York were my top two choices, but I was overruled by a friend of mine. Says NYC was also a British Colony.**

**I just used Adachi's name, since he was Dojima's slave. But if you do want to make 'em related, then feel free.**

**next...**

Okay, so maybe I have my favouritism because of the accent, but, but-!

Maybe try to do some Naoto/Minato moments when they're in New York? i don't know it seems like a good idea... but just for New York, when they get back to school keep on the Yukari, Minako, Minato thingy.

That last part about mince meat... you took that from Conan, right?

**Seriously, that is really tempting to do. I thought of the same thing' that I had to rack my brains about it and finally come to the conclusion that it is a very bad idea. Minato has a lot of girl problems enough without Naoto adding to it. I'm very sorry. If anyone feels bad about it, it's me. But do keep your eyes peeled.**

**Yep, I'm a fan of CoCo.**

**and this last question may not even be a question... But I decide to answer it nonetheless.**

Bro, AWESOME...I for some reason can't find words to describe this chapter...Naoto and Minato don't look alike...I was fooled once, but that was...fanart...

**Well, TBH, they DO look alike. Atlus confirmed that Minato and Naoto look alike because Naoto was designed after Minato. So that "fanart" was right.**

* * *

**Well, I'm glad to get such great questions. If any of you want to ask a question, or point something I messed up out, then feel very free to mention it on your review and I will sort it out ASAP. Let's see if any of you have what it takes to make mincemeat out of the Maestro.**

**Also, I will update faster if you review. I have the latest chapters on backup and am just waiting for the ripe good time to post it.**

**have a good one!**

* * *

**Update:**

**-made the gang, especially Kenji, use English as a speaking medium. Credits to KazuyaYamura for the eye-opener.**

**-updated the Night at the Museum reference.**

**-fixed the gym goof that included Junpei.**

**-made additions to the romantic scenes. Credits to KazuyaYamura for the helpful suggestion.**


	34. A Timid Confession?

_**A/N: I'd like to send this out first, mostly aimed to the ones who haven't (never) reviewed... Where's the love? C'mon, at least leave one review. Help me out here, eh?**_

* * *

_(11/13/10)_

Tuesday...

I was awakened by my alarm clock at around 6:30, New York time.

Grudgingly, I woke up and went out to take a bath, even though the jetlag still bit my mind.

I went inside the bathroom and bathed for a few minutes. After that, I went out and got dressed. A little while later, the gang went out. After the usual morning rituals, we all agreed to go down to eat the morning buffet.

I whispered to Minako, "So, uh, what exactly happened yesterday?"

"You fainted yesterday. And It wasn't me this time, I swear." She said, "You got overly nervous."

Yukari sniffed, "Well, Minato, I hope you're ready for tonight." She said loudly.

"Oh, yeah." I said quickly, "No worries."

She beamed at me.

Minako rolled her eyes and looked at the elevator buttons.

We had a hearty meal with everyone. Naoto was relating a rather interesting anecdote about one of her cases.

"So, the butler did it? I don't believe it." Junpei said.

"Yes indeed. He did not want the Young Master to marry a woman of different birth than he." Naoto said.

"What a cold-hearted dude." Quan said as he was about to pop a vitamin.

"Hey Quan, STOP!" Minako cried.

Quan stopped and looked at Minako.

"What?" He said.

"That doesn't look like vitamins." She said cautiously.

He squinted at it, "You're right, Mina-chan... This isn't my vitamins. Thanks for the heads up."

Junpei laughed, "Remind me never to let Quan's mom pack my meds." He said, "Might pack rat poison instead of my multivitamins."

"Haha, I think Quan's mum is trying to kill him." I said jokingly as I chewed on a pancake.

"Yeah, but she's so damn fine! She can kill me!" Kenji said excitedly.

Rio narrowed her eyes at him. Kenji shrugged.

"Yo, don't talk shit about my mom or my freaking meds. I can hear everything." Quan cried he stowed away the faux-meds.

"Great. Wendy Wu's a ninja now." Junpei snickered.

Quan gave us the skunk eye.

"Enough about me, how was your night, Junpei?" Quan asked.

Junpei's smile faded.

"Junpei here snuck out of his room to give Chidori a good night kiss." Quan said.

"Well, love makes people do crazy things." Junpei said, turning red.

"And seeing as how you loved everything back then, that statement explains a lot." Yukari said.

"Oh, go suck on a lemon, Yuka-tan." He said annoyedly.

"Why is she here anyway?" Rio asked, "I mean, I thought she lived in Iwatodai?"

"Oh, get this," Junpei said excitedly, "She's living with Mitsuru-san and is also her E.A."

"E.A.?" Minako said.

"Executive Assistant." I said.

"Though, it could stand for Executing Assistant." Yukari said.

Junpei and I gulped.

Naoto seemed rather glum today.

"Homesick?" I asked her.

"Oh, please don't worry about me. I'm fine." She said as she tried to smile.

"C'mon!" Junpei cried, "We've been living together for, what, two days now!? We'd know if you're glum or not."

She let out a deep, mournful sigh, "Apparently, a group of students feel that I am not at all deserving of this. They say I'm a stranger who reaps the rewards of the school." She said, "And I was hoping that they'd be rather nicer."

"Well, waddya expect?" Junpei said harshly.

"P-pardon me?"

"You heard me." Junpei said.

"Naoto, this is HIGH SCHOOL! We don't embrace differences, we EXPLOIT them!" Minako said, greatly flustered.

Naoto nodded, "Indeed, I am learning quite a lot."

"Yeah, you'd also learn about friendship." Yukari said.

"Right. Show me those losers and I'll stove their faces together." Lee said.

"P-Please! Don't trouble yourselves!" Naoto pleaded.

"Also, how did we pay for this trip? I'm so damn broke, I'd need to save up a whole year to buy a set of socks!" Lee said.

"Oh, last I heard, this was already part of our miscelleneous funds from last year," Fuuka said.

"Beats me. There's an underside to everything that you can't see." Naoto said.

We spent the next few moments debating with her.

After that, we went to the buses at 12:30.

Our first stop for the day was the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. It was a tedious trip, since it rained heavily today.

The art tour was led by a rather neurotic tour guide, who insisted we don't picture anything, even though cameras were allowed, because the flash might "further deteriorate" the paintings.

We still took pictures behind her back. Then, Minako pulled me aside. I was slightly scared.

"Minato..." She said and I sensed the gravity of it.

"Yeah? What's up?" I said.

"I...I... L-Lo-" she stuttered.

"Oh, look at you, you're choking up..." I said, looking away for a bit, and when I did look back, Minako WAS choking. In fact, she was purpling.

"Holy Hell! You're really choking! Ah-" I went behind her to give her the Heimlich Maneuver.

"One-Two-Three!" I growled as I applied the manuever at her, "One-Two-Three!"

She spat out gum and it landed on some expensive painting.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting anything." A cold voice said.

It was Yukari.

"Oh, uh, hey Yukari. Minako choked on her bubblegum, so I gave her the Heimlich." I said, and let go of her.

"Dinner's still on, right?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah. Of course." I said quickly.

She nodded, "Come on. We're moving on."

She went ahead.

"So, uh, what were you gonna say?" I asked Minako.

She blushed heavily, then said, "I said... Uh... Nevermind!" And ran away like a bat out of hell.

I shrugged and went ahead with the tour some more and then we left for the Staten Island Ferry at around 3 P.M..

The school somehow reserved a boat big enough for all of us. Fuuka, Quan, Kenji, Junpei, Minako and a few others kept "feeding the fishes" with their seasickness. I didn't understand it, since we weren't even out of sea yet.

"Ugh, thank America to discover new ways to cause new means of motion sickness..." Minako said as she retched from the boat as the tour guide yapped about the various places in the riverbanks.

Junpei kept hurling in his hat. Lee was rubbing Fuuka's back. Rio did the same for Kenji. I decided to do the same for Minako.

When I did, it seemed as if she emptied the contents of her breakfast into the river.

She turned around and sheepishly wiped her mouth and smiled at me, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." I said.

The moment seemed ripe yet again... The sun casted a pre-twilight shadow upon the city, making it seem like the world revolved around us. The sea breeze sent gentle winds that made my skin tingle strangely.

I smiled as the bitter tang of the city mixed with the salty breeze of the nearby sea.

I looked again at Minako's eyes. They never cease to amaze me with how sparkly and red they are. Yet they always remind me of how gentle Minako could be.

Suddenly, I imagined me and Minako living together with our six children. Though it was quite too soon indeed to think of that, I couldn't help it.

"Minako..." I whispered as I brushed her bangs past her ears.

No one could see us, since we were at the back of the ship.

I drew close.

Minako's eyes closed as she seemed to anticipate it as well.

Then, due to another twist of fate, someone shouted: "We're landing in a few moments!"

Again, I drew away, looking redder by the minute.

"Uh, shall we go down?" I asked.

"Yeah, right." Minako agreed.

We went down, trying not to make eye contact.

"Hey guys- uh, did something happen?" Junpei asked.

"No!" Minako and I said at the same time.

"Oh, then why are you two so red?" Lee snickered.

"Zip it, Lee. Or you'll be taking a dip in the Styx." Minako warned.

"A'ight, a'ight." Lee said as he held his arms up, "Last one to the bus is a rotten egg!" He cried as he ran off with Quan, Junpei and Kenji.

"Yeah, well first one's gonna eat it!" Minako cried, "Let's go?"

I nodded and contemplated on telling her how I felt, but before I could, she ran and outstripped Kenji, Junpei and Quan.

I groaned as I went ahead, then felt a reassuring hand on my shoulders.

"Hey Yukari-chan." I greeted.

"I didn't see you in the boat." She said.

"Oh, yeah, I was out back." I said.

"With who?" She asked.

I considered lying, but decided against it, "Minako. She was sick, so I stayed with her."

"Ah." Yukari said, "Can I ask you something?" She said as we walked back to the bus.

"Of course." I said.

"Do you have feelings for Minako?" She asked while biting her lip.

"I... Uh..." I stammered, "I'm still figuring it out."

She nodded and looked relieved,"Phew. Alright. Be ready tonight at nine, okay?"

I nodded and went to the bus with Yukari.

When we did return to the hotel, we, especially those who emptied their stomachs into the river, ate a big buffet.

After that, I went back to the room.

After a bit of resting, Lee jumped, "Guys, check this out; they got a gym on the sixteenth floor!"

"Moron, we were there yesterday..." I muttered.

"No, a different one! I meant a multipurpose gym! They got a basketball court there!" Lee cried.

"Whoa, seriously?!" I said, "Man, I could use a bit of a warm-up. I'm a little restless."

"What are we waiting for?" Kenji said, "Let's gear up!"

"Okay."

We geared up and got ready.

We then went to the basketball court to play. Since we're odd-numbered, we decided to ask the girls if they wanted to play. Yukari and Minako were going to try the Hot Springs and Fuuka obviously wasn't up to it for obvious reasons, so she decided to go with the two.

Pinky was having a massage, and Quan was about to go with her, but we kidnapped him. Naoto bluntly stated she had better things to do. So the only girl available was Rio. And she actually agreed on it.

My team consisted of me, Kenji and Quan while we went up against Lee, Junpei and Rio.

First game was ours, but the second one was a close game... Lee and, surprisingly, Junpei were quite good, leaving us in the dust. Rio was actually good. She handled the ball like a pro. It was mainly due to Rio passing the ball to Kenji just because she felt sorry for him (and us in general,) that we were kept from losing.

Quan was guarding Lee.

"Next point wins the game! Hurry up!" I said.

"Hold on to your earrings, Wendy Wu," he said as he circled Quan, "Because I'm gonna embarrass you and it's gonna hurt cause I love you."

"Give me that, man, you're full of shit!" Quan said as he grabbed the ball forcibly.

"Hey, foul! Foul!" Lee cried.

"What?" Quan cried back.

"C'mon Bro, you hit my hand." Lee said.

"No I didn't!" Quan said.

"Oh yeah?" Lee said, then shot the ball, where it connected to the basket, "Three points!"

"Yeah baby, yeah!" Junpei cried.

"Sigh..." I shook my head.

"Let's run again, same teams!" Kenji suggested as he handled the game ball.

"Good plan." Rio said as she stole the ball and dribbled it as Kenji tried to get it back.

"Naw, I got to go do something." I said as I took off my shoes.

"Come on, we're tied! Someone has to lose!" Junpei said.

"You know I have to do "that" thing today." I said.

"What thing, bro?" Quan asked.

"I need to go to hang out with Yukari." I said quietly.

"Really?" Junpei said.

"As 'best friends' as she would put it." I said.

"Oh man, you're stuck in the friendzone!" Lee bemoaned.

"What the hell does that even mean?" I said.

"What, friendzone?" Lee said.

"Yeah!"

"Er, explain it to them, Rio." Junpei said.

"Friendzone... Is when a guy, or in this case, a girl decides you're no longer a dating option, you've become a non-sexual entity in their eyes, like a sister... Or a lamp." Rio said bitterly.

"Friendzone..." Kenji shuddered, "A horrifying, lifeless limbo of lovelessness and sorrow."

"Like what you did to Rio..." Junpei muttered, "A moment of silence, for our brother in the friendzone."

Everyone put their right hand in their breast and bowed their heads grimly.

"What? No I'm not." I said indignantly, "Ask Rio. She might know."

"Don't drag me into this." Rio said as she dribbled the ball, trying to keep it away from Kenji, but she wasn't really trying too hard.

"Listen to me... We've been friends for a long time... You gotta dump her." Junpei said.

"Why? I'm not even going out with her." I said.

"That's the point." Lee said.

"Whatever you guys don't have, it's gotta end." Junpei said.

The guys roared in assent.

"Okay, for all those who actually listen to this clown, let it be known that I, Minato Arisato, shall never be stuck in the friendzone. Understand and believe that, fools. And besides, we're going for dinner as friends. Peace." I said and walked away.

"Friendzone! Friendzone!" They jeered.

"Don't say we didn't warn you! Friendzone-boy!" Lee hollered.

I flipped them the bird as I went up to get ready.

I picked up my suit from the twelfth floor (yes, they do have a laundromat) and got ready.

When I finally went to the dining room, I was shocked at Yukari's appearance.

As if by magic, she suddenly became even more beautiful. Her peach colored gown looked so good on her. And her hair was just regal. She looked like Titiana with a peach dress.

"Wow. You look good." I managed to say.

"Thanks." She winked.

I took a seat and began ordering some food, this time Japanese food.

"I love Japanese food." Yukari said as she took a bite from a piece of sashimi.

"Hehe, but since we're from Japan, don't you mean you like food from back home?" I joked.

She just smirked politely.

"You know something Minato? I like you." She said.

I nodded, "I like you."

"Really?" She asked.

"Oh yeah."

_That was a bit of a lie. I didn't feel anything for her anymore. When I said those words, I felt hollow... Was it because my feelings were conflicted...? Had I really fallen for Minako just like that?_

"Good." She said, "Gimme a kiss then." She said as she puckered up.

"What, right now?" I asked urgently.

"Yeah, it'll be a blast." She said.

I tried my best to force myself to, but I kept imagining Minako's face.

"No, I... I can't do it." I said, "I'm sorry."

Instead of throwing a fit, she smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked.

"Because now I know how you feel about Minako." She smiled.

_Great Messiah on high... She was playing mind games on me from the start._

"I... Uh... Not true." I said pathetically.

"Don't deny it." She said.

"I'm not. I'm really trying to figure it out. I truly am!" I said.

"Fine. That only makes me more determined to do anything it takes to win you back." She said.

"Okay, I'll bite. Why do you like me so much?" I said.

She gave me a look, "You kidding me? You're sweet, kind, gentle and you listen to my problems. You always seem to care for me. You look out for me even if I wouldn't do the same. Which is why you have my love. Forever and always."

_I bit my lips. And I needed to max out my popularity to even talk to you._

"Which is why I don't want to hurt you. I want to remain friends, at least until I work out my feelings." I said as I kissed her on the cheeks.

She smiled, "Okay. Thanks Minato. For being a good friend." She said, "Thanks for always listening to me." Yukari said as she held my hand, "You're such a great friend."

I smiled as well.

_"The friendzone is for losers only." The P.A. sounded, "Please unload your friend and get on with your life."_

"Did you hear that?" I said, looking around.

"I didn't hear anything." Yukari said truthfully.

"Is that so?" I said as I scratched my ear.

We stayed there, talking for a while until we decided to go back up. Everyone was asleep already.

I said good night and went to take a bath. After that, I went to sleep, hoping for a normal day tomorrow.

* * *

**_A/N: I told you guys if you reviewed more, I'd post faster. Believe me now?_**

**_Anyway, be sure to post anything you find wrong and I will sort it out asap._**

**_Anyways, review, review, review! If you liked the story, then review! And when you do, you're just gonna love it even more!_**

**_Q/A time:_**

_Romance it is...but I have 95% bad felling that they kissed, but answer me this...how in the frigging world did Minato pass out...what did someone hit him in the head or rather Minako got freaked out and hit him with a champagne bottle? (In which I hope that's the case!) Or is it because of the dinner (like you said in the story). If so, was he drugged?_

_Very, want to the next chapter...because of MinaKari's dinner!_

_P.S: It's kinda embarrassing, but when I posted that review, I was, well, "out of zone" so to speak...like a zombie..._

_,but you answered it anyway's, so thanks._

_Pretty much, good chapter, bro!_

**_Sigh... Okay, I'll try to explain it in an easily understood manner..._**

**_First, if you read it thoroughly, like I keep telling you to, you would've noticed that they did not kiss._**

**_Second, it seems as though you have something against Minako. I'd hate to disappoint you but the answer is a solid... No, that wasn't the case. She did not smash him in the head with a champagne bottle. Nor was the dinner drugged. He simply passed out. Why? Two simple words. Anxiety. Attack. Unless you're immune to it or something, that's the cause,_**

**_It causes fainting, so there._**

**_Also, it's MinaYuka. Minakari is a type of jewelry, just to clarify things with you._**

**_Now for another question from someone familiar..._**

_Hey, i'm the guy from your first question. I mean side stories like the pageant. I found myself skimming through the stories because it's not developing the three main characters. You tell me that I don't know that these stories should connect together but you're obviously not doing it. I'm talking about stories where the characters are just put in a situation and then deal with it. Not very exciting. Stories that affect characters and then see what happens to them. How they change and grow. That kind of character development. If you're telling me that there was CD (I'll just shorten it from here on out), then let me tell you. Its happening at a very sluggish-rate. And about my last statement from my previous comment._

_I'm talking about like when you put the walking dead thing in this chapter? It really lessens the world when you put things from real life. It should be the Persona Universe and it should be faithful to that world. All in all though, this was a more decent chapter. Its kind of sad though because the first few chapters really gave this Fanfiction this incredible premise._

**_First of all, it's really good to hear from you again. Truly a pleasure._**

**_While I do agree that the sidestories are a bit of a drag with this story, I have to disagree with you. The game implemented these "sidestories" so as to add a moment of bonding within the cast. So I don't see why I shouldn't do it as well._**

**_I also have to disagree with your statements on it being a "slog-feast". Some of my other readers find those chapters hilarious, so I have to object that statement, unless they make an uproar of me being wrong. But it's been duly noted. _**

**_If you're feeling impatient, then wait for a few chapters. Don't spoil it for others. Everything will meld together perfectly. Also, if you haven't noticed, Minako did develop. She was a hopeless romantic, unsophisticated girl and she found her love in Minato and became more graceful. She became more knowledgable about love and life. That sort of jazz._**

**_As for your final words... I'll keep that in mind._**

**_Though this isn't a question, I've elected to answer it..._**

dude, this chapter is amazing! finally minato is in love with minako. it's the moment i've been waiting for this whole summer. (it's summer here in the philippines.) i hope you reache 60 chapters. :) (the half is minato's life with minako as his gf) good work brother. ggod work. i hope ATLUS would read this and and publish it. :)

_**Thanks! I've been thinking if it was too early, but looks like it turned out well.**_

_**Summer there, eh? I was from there before. Sorry for the wait.**_

_**You're too kind with the compliments.**_

_**Also, I had the same idea of the duo living a college life. Just wait and see.**_

_**Hope to hear more from you!**_

**Anyway, if you guys see or want to ask anything, put it on your review and I'll sort it out ASAP. Let's see if you got what it takes to make mincemeat out of the maestro!**

* * *

**5/24/13 Update:**

**-Junpei explaining Chidori's presence in New York. Credits to Solidthanatos.**

**-Explained who funded the trip. Much credits to solidthanatos.**

**-changed 'gym' to 'basketball court'. Credits to Urter.**

**-changed ,y to my. Credits to Urter.**


	35. The Best Exotic Brooklyn Café

**_(11/14/10)_**

* * *

_Wednesday..._

I woke up and took a bath. Everyone else woke up after a while, and after the usual morning madness, we went down for breakfast.

We quietly ate breakfast as Ms. Toriumi arrived and told us to eat faster.

"Where are we going this time?" Junpei said grumpily, "I hope it isn't gonna be another stuffy museum. The guys and I are getting bored."

"Speak for yourself." Minako said as she ate her bowl of soup.

"Eh? So you disagree with me?" Junpei asked.

"Uh, no, not really." Minako admitted.

"Where are we going, Miz?" Lee asked.

"Central Park." Ms. Toriumi said.

"And...?"

"Broadway."

"What're we gonna do there?" Minako asked.

"In Central Park, we're gonna clean it and in Broadway, as a reward, you'll get to see a show!" She said, but even she didn't sound excited.

Everyone within hearing distance groaned.

"Reward?! I can't think of a more severe punishment! We flew thousands of miles just to clean a filthy park?!" Quan cried.

"Correct."

We groaned even more.

But wether we wanted to or not, we still rode the buses going to Central Park.

It was huge! Bigger than Tatsumi Port Island, even.

"My God! They expect us to clean this place?!" Lee cried, "It's bigger than the damn Port Island!"

We were given spike sticks to stab at the trash and bags to dispose of them.

These are one of the times we're greatful that we could curse in Japanese.

We looked mournfully at the picnics people were having.

Lee managed to nick a few turkey legs and shared it to us. Junpei even managed to "borrow" a picnic basket.

We ate behind a bush and resumed work.

"It must be a crime to lure innocent Japanese kids to a clean a park..." I said, "Mitsuru... That witch lured us here to do slave labor!"

"My back... My poor back..." Junpei moaned.

"Argh... Shut up, my back hurts even more..." Kenji moaned.

"What kind of moron would throw away a rusted go-kart?!" Lee groaned as he rubbed ointment on his back.

"Wimps..." Rio muttered.

"Great, now we have to watch a bunch of fat singers sing in a foreign language." Quan said.

"I don't see what's wrong with opera." Naoto said, "To me, it's the highest form of sophisticated singing."

"Oh Naoto-kun..." Minako said as she patted her in the back, "You have so much to learn."

"You're just like Mitsuru too..." Yukari said.

"Justaminute!" Junpei said so loudly, that everyone stiffened, "You look like Minato, and act like Mitsuru-san... You're Mitsuru and Minato's daughter!" He said, jutting a finger at Naoto, "You are, aren't you?!" He said as his face cracked with a triumphant smile.

I didn't even know if he was serious or not. "So, what, I was three and Mitsuru was four when Naoto was born?" I said skeptically.

"Don't lie!" Junpei said.

"You are obviously a special brand of stupid." Lee said as he shook his head.

"It's true-"

"Junpei, please... You're lowering the IQ of the entire park." Yukari said quietly.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you." He said as he opened one eye very widely at me. "And you." He said to Naoto, who recoiled.

And then he started humming the Father and Son song from a popular TV show, The Forty Thieves.

Then, we were shepherded to the buses and hauled off to Broadway.

We sulked on the side.

"I am not going in there. I don't care if they expel me, I'm not going in." Lee said.

"So am I. Know any places to chill, Minako?" Junpei asked.

"Well... There is this one place... Very near." She said.

"Let's go then."

"Yeah!"

As we walked some distance away, a stern voice stopped us, "Just where do you think you're going?"

"Crap..." Minako cursed, "Uh, hey Ms. Toriumi! Nice to see you here!"

"Why aren't you guys on the tour?" She asked.

"Look, there is no way we're going there and-" Lee began.

"I'm not letting you guys go without supervision." Ms. Toriumi said.

"There's no way we're going back there!" Junpei said.

She raised a hand. "I never said I'd bring you back." She said slyly.

We were confused.

"Waddya mean?" Rio asked cautiously.

"I mean, you guys have to bring me with you." She said, "Opera isn't my style either."

"Nor is anything from the 21st century..." Lee muttered.

We shrug, "Sure."

We went to a barberstore-cafe lounge in Brooklyn, BrookeDale Lodge, where a few others customers were enjoying tea and others were having haircuts.

The clientele were a group of ladies, four bikers having haircuts, old timers watching TV or playing board games, teenagers gossiping while sipping frappe and businessmen having makeovers.

"This place seems pretty unfriendly..." Fuuka said.

"I get you. Those bikers look tough..." Lee said, looking apprehensive.

"Hey, hey, everyone, it's Mina Red!" a Waitress exclaimed.

Everyone welcomed us most warmly.

After it died down and we got settled, Junpei decided to play checkers with an old man called "Checker" George.

Lee and Fuuka were chatting with an elderly couple, a war veteran and an ex-army nurse.

Quan and Kenji were having foot and back massage as Pinky dyed her hair pink, for reasons that escape me, since that was her natural hair color.

Rio was arm wrestling a burly biker.

Naoto was talking with an off-duty detective.

Ms. Toriumi was chatting with a group of elderly ladies, while enjoying cake and tea.

Then, a car pulled up right along a Chevrolet Sonic.

Since we were outside, we could pretty much hear what she said.

"Wanna play hardball? Fine. I'll give ya hardball." She muttered as she opened the trunk and took a baseball bat.

She picked up an egg-sized stone and broke the mirrors with a well-aimed throw.

"Hey y'all, check this lady out!" Minako said as everyone, except a businessman getting his hair shampooed, went to the window to look.

"Give it up!" She yelled as she swung the bat and it shattered the passenger side window.

"DAMN!" Everyone in the store yelled.

"What's going on there?" The businessman inquired, as he couldn't move from his deep scalp treatment.

"Come here, you gotta see this dude!" Junpei said excitedly.

"You're really missing out, man!" Quan said.

She swung at the doors and managed to dent one of the handles badly.

"Someone smashing someone's car up?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said as she smashed the hood.

"Damn!" Minako said as the woman smashed on the roof, "She's pissed!"

"Obviously! That, or she has a grudge with the guy who owns that Chevy." Ms. Toriumi said.

"If she really wanted to do that car in, if she wanna be real, she'd crack the windshield." The businessman said, "That's what I'd do."

"I'll get you! I'll get you good!" The woman said as she stood on the hood and cracked the windshield.

"Ooooh! She just did, brother!" Lee said.

"Man, what kind of car she's smashing up?" The businessman asked.

"Uh... A Chevy Sonic." I said.

He nodded, "Hold up... that's a good car. I bought one today. I feel bad for the sorry schmuck who owns it!" He said.

"I bet she's gonna stove the trunk in!" Earl the biker said.

"Man-whore! Playa!" The woman shrieked as she caved the trunk in.

"Oh right again! You're a regular high roller, Earl!" Lee said.

"Sick!" The woman cried.

"Haha! What color is it?" The businessman asked.

"Son of a-" she grunted.

"Gold." Kenji said.

"BITCH!" She roared.

"Good color... Does it... Does it have a chrome wheel spinners?" He asked.

Everyone in the store looked at him.

He sat bolt upright, "That's my car!" He yelled as he went outside, "That's my car!"

Everyone in the store laughed so hard at him. Earl actually fell back and broke a table. It was wrong to laugh, but we couldn't help it.

"Stop it! Stop it! What do you think you're doing?!" The man screamed.

"I'm smashing Kai Gino's car." She said through her teeth.

"Put the bat down! I don't know any Rai Jeano!"

"This ain't Kai Gino's car?" She asked.

"This ain't his car! I just bought it today!" He yelled.

"It looks like his car." She said.

"I don't care who's car it is! There's hundreds of cars just like that one in New York!"

"Wait a minute... So this really isn't Kai's car?"

"Fuck! Who the hell is he?!" The man sputtered.

"Oh man... My bad." She said.

"What, what did you say? 'My bad'?!"

The woman shrugged and ran away inside her car as the man chased it in vain, while still wearing the cape and shampoo.

"Hey, I'll call your momma and tell her what happened!" One of the customers said.

"Hahahahahaha! I hope you get your money back!" Another customer cried.

"The people are crazy!" Junpei said in surprise.

"Yeah, well..." Minako chortled, "Welcome to New York. Again."

"Hmph! All men are the same!" Ms. Toriumi said knowingly, "They will cheat you, hurt you, lie." She said as she looked pointedly at Lee.

"Heh. No one asked you to try them all out, Miz." Lee retorted.

Ms. Toriumi narrowed her eyes at him.

"I never want to make a girl THAT angry." Quan said quietly.

"You don't want to." Yukari said.

"Man, if I ever desrved that, I wouldn't complain." I said.

"You know, Minato, Naoto wouldn't approve of that, right Naoto? You would've done something?" Checker George said as he played checkers with Junpei.

"Checker George, sit down and play checkers." I said, "Do I LOOK like Naoto?"

Everyone nodded and mumbled.

"Yes you do." Fuuka said.

"Duh!" Rio cried.

"Of course!" Pinky said.

"Oh yeah!" Quan shouted.

"Yeah." Lee said.

"Kinda." Kenji said.

"Especially the hair and nose..." Junpei said.

"I beg to differ." Naoto said, "Other than the hair and the facial features, we look nothing alike-"

But no one seemed to have heard her.

We spent a right good time in there, and Junpei insisted he get a haircut first, but Minako angrily pointed out that he's practically bald, and we finally said our farewells went back and melded with the others as we converged to the buses.

We went back to the Hotel. Since it was still early, we decided to head to the Fitness Gym.

The girls, as usual, decided to hit the Stationary Bikes, as the boys and I hit the wieghts. Naoto was just doing baby wieghts though, just to keep up apperances.

After working up a respectable amount of wieghts, we decided to hit the Juice Bar.

We ordered some Wintermelon drinks.

Some dude greeted me.

"Yo. You from Korea or something?" The Westerner asked amiably.

"Oh, hello." I said in my fluent English, "Actually, I'm from Japan. That chick with the pink hair is from Korea."

"Sorry. I can never tell you Asian chaps apart. No offense." He said.

"None taken. I'm Minato." I said.

"James. Pleasure." He said as he shook my hand.

"So, you from here, James?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm a teen model. Just staying for a few days." He said.

"Yeah... So am I." I said.

"Well, nothing beats the tail here. I've always been into Asians." James said, "Man, look at that hot brunette..." He said as he pointed at Yukari, "She looks very pretty."

I scowled at him, "Yeah, I heard she has a boyfriend though... Big, strong and jealous gangster type... He's packing heat. You wouldn't want to mess with him." I said, "Big mistake of you cross him. He and his gang run in a pack."

"Oh. Never mind then... Wouldn't want trouble..." He said apprehensively, and then points at Minako, "Say... That red headed chick looks beautiful."

"I wouldn't want to try her either. She has a boyfriend too. Star athlete, top of his class and the leader of the Sports Committee... Pretty strong in a scrap as well... He's also in the same gang as the guy I just mentioned... Hard to compete with that."

"Man, what's the damn point of being a teen model if all the pretty chicks are taken anyway!?" He bemoaned.

"Well, gotta go, James. It was nice meeting you." I said.

"Oh, okay! It was nice meeting you, Hinaro." James said.

We went to the poolside, which was at the 22nd floor, just the guys and I.

"Whoa! So this is what they call an "infinity pool"? I've always wanted to see one myself." Kenji said.

"Yeah, and the chips here ain't too bad." Lee said.

We ordered loads of food. Since Lee was of age, he bought the Long Island Ice Tea, while I funded it.

We had a blast in the pool. Junpei managed to talk one of the staff members to lend him an airbed, which he placed by the pool.

Kenji and Quan had a naughty smile as the both jumped on the airbed, launching Junpei in the air and headfirst into the pool.

We all laughed, even Junpei himself.

"Yo, that was TENSE!" Junpei cried.

Then, a Roman Shadow past us.

"So, how's life in the Noble light?" Cato asked derisively, "Enjoy it, since you'll never taste it again."

"Hey Cato, does your mum play the trumpet? Cause she has strong lips!" Lee said as I sensed his euphemism.

"That's right, because yours is my domestic helper." Cato sneered. His cronies laughed.

Lee got up, looking ready for a scrap, but Quan held him back.

I looked at the silver briefcase he was holding, "What's in there?"

He hid it behind his back, "Never you mind. I'll be seeing you... _peasants_ later." he said, then left with his possé, Hide and Hortez, to go sunbathing.

"Urgh! That does it! I'm gonna kick his ass!" Lee said as he charged after him.

Quan grabbed him, "Don't be dumb."

"You flaking out on me?" Lee said.

"No, I'm saying... You should trust me." He said with a sly smile.

He told us of his plan.

I went up to Cato, "What's up with the laptop?"

The briefcase turned out to be a container for a high-tech laptop. The outside had a decal sticker that looked like an Italian Witch.

It really did look familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it...

"Go away, Arisato, I realize that I'm hot commodity, but quit annoying me." Cato said bluntly.

After I saw something dart from the bushes, I didn't move just yet.

"Where'd you find it?" I said.

Hide stood up and pinned me to the wall quickly, "This guy bothering you, Cato?"

"Not in the least," Cato replied curtly, and Hide let me go roughly, "Not so much as a fly. If you must know, I... found it from somewhere."

"More like you plundered it." I said.

"Mayhap." Cato said, "But what do you care?"

"That doesn't belong to you." I said.

"And so what if it isn't?" Cato said furiously, "I don't care."

"Duh, Master Cato found it!" Hortez said.

After noticing a finger from the bushes doing a thumbs up, I smiled at him.

"Okay. As an afterthought, you guys look like you need a tan. Especially you, Edward Cullen."

Cato looked furious, "Shut up! I was gonna get a tan before you came along."

I smiled and walked away.

He muttered as he grabbed the tainted sunscreen.

"Are you guys sure it's enough?" I said.

"Dude, we did it as hard as we could." Junpei said.

"Yeah, I almost lit a fire down there!" Kenji said.

"Right... I haven't spanked off that much since watching Mary Ozawa." Quan said.

"Don't worry... besides, I'm pornstar material!" Lee said as he did an impression of doggy-style.

Cato and his goons were spreading sun-tan lotion all over themselves.

Cato put some on his lips, "By Jove, this is really thick. What is this, 30?"

"It feels strange..." Hide said as he rubbed some on his face.

"Hey! It tastes like tropical fruit!" Hortez said.

We strode to them laughing.

"How's that taste, Cock-to?" Lee said derisively.

"Mmmm... good, huh? Warm, tangy and salty?" Kenji said sneeringly.

"Great for those 'seamen' types!" Quan said.

"Hows the consistency? Does it feel like snake puke?" I asked.

"Yep, it's a CUM-pletely new formula! 100% Anaconda Juice! SPF 69!" Lee said while laughing loudly.

Cato and Hide looked like they were about to puke and jumped at the pool. Hortez remained seated.

"Why aren't you jumping in?" Quan asked, still laughing.

He shrugged, "Duh, it tastes and feels nice."

It was our turn to feel nauseous.

"Get out of here! Go jump in the pool!" Lee cried.

He nodded dumbly and jumped in.

We laughed it up and went back to our room.

After relating our encounter with Cato, insisting it wasn't us who did the defiling part, and they laughed it up.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Fuuka said.

"Where are we off to?" Kenji asked, "Another place they want us to clean?"

"Don't you read you schedule? We're free tomorrow."

"HUZZZAH!" The guys and I cheered loudly.

They then prepared to go somewhere.

"Where are you guys off to?" I asked.

"Off to the springs." Pinky said, "You guys wanna come?"

"Absolutely not!" Yukari shouted.

"Heh, not like we wanted to." Junpei said, "Go on ahead. Not like the boys and I would want to see your bodies. You guys need to shed a few pounds in that heater."

Minako stepped forwad and stomped on his foot. Yukari, Fuuka, Rio and Pinky followed suit.

"Ow!" Junpei howled, "My freaking toes!"

"You started it!" Minako said, "If you guys think our bodies look bad, then why don't you guys go to the hot springs with us?!"

"Yes!" Lee, Kenji and Quan cried in glee.

"NOOOO!" Junpei and I screamed fiercely, "Absolutely not! No way in hell!" I said.

"We'd rather streak naked while singing Backstreet boys songs!" Junpei cried.

"Speak for yourself!" Lee cried.

"All right, fine! We wouldn't want to go with you perverts anyways!" They cried and huffed away in wrath.

The boys, except Junpei and I, groaned.

Lee strode to us in fury, "Dude, you two idiots just let down every man on the face of the Earth!"

"Listen to us. It's a death trap." Junpei said.

"We dodged a silver bullet today, and that bullet is a size of a cannon ball with you morons in tow." I said.

"Oh, forget you." Lee said.

The guys were pretty sour with us the entire night, so Naoto, Junpei and I had to talk the entire night.

I decided to confide in Junpei and Naoto.

"Guys... I want to say something to you two that only you will know. Can I trust you? Especially you, Junpei?" I said.

"You bet." He said.

"Who would I tell?" Naoto said.

"Okay... Here it goes..." I took a deep breath, "I am in love with Minako."

They didn't seemed surprise.

"Well, any idiot with eyes can see that." Junpei said.

"Indeed, it took little deductive reasoning to point that out." Naoto said, "Although I cannot help you any further. I'm afraid I'm rather inept with these matters."

"I mean, I want to tell her, I really do..."

"Write a freaking letter then." Junpei said.

I did. I decided to channel all my feelings towards the letter. All the bottled up emotions, feelings and heartfelt love I felt for Minako. Although, I don't know why I'd call it love. Probably for lack of a better word. I didn't know what word to describe, "feeling in love, but not sure if it is actually love or not."

I ran up to her room and placed it in her locker.

Then, I grew anxious. I decided to get it back, for fear of her reaction. I heard her draw near and I frantically tried to rip it out, but all I managed to rip off was the "Lots of love, and ever in you affections, Minato."

I ran out just in time as Minako went in.

"Hey Minato." She said as she smiled.

"Hey Minako. Uh, I was about to sleep." I said.

"Oh. Good night." She said.

"You know, Junpei didn't really mean anything by what he said toyou guys." I said, "It's just that we have a kind of bad luck with Hot springs. I don't think your body is bad."

She smiled, "It's fine. And I'll take that last comment as a compliment."

I smiled and went to sleep, thinking if I did right or not.

* * *

**_A/N: done! Review please. Also, for those who haven't voted in the poll yet, now would be the time to do so._**

**_Questionsandanswerportion!_**

_(BTW, this in reply to your statement. Not an actual review.) Those side stories worked in the game because they it was a game! In this kind of format on this kind of site it is going at the "slug-fest". And the pageant, as you said, a leaf from persona 4. I've already seen that. I read this story because it was something new, so when you made that chapter I went Uuugggghh. I mean, I don't want to tell you how to make your story but DAMN. I mean when you'r do funny chapter_

_Part 2. When you do a "funny" chapter. You don't do a single one, you do a good handful. And I believe to make that development matter, there needs to be a conflict that shadows those characters and a feeling of satisfaction when a character develops big time. I did not feel that and you're right. I did not notice Minako's "development". Why, you say? I refer you to my previous statements. Anyway, these are just my problems with the story. I truly hope for a more enjoyable story._

**O...kay... Since you seem like you're out to get me, let me say this isn't a polite answer, rather a curt response:**

**Here it goes: **

**If you have any GREAT and FUNNIER ideas than mine, I'd love to hear it.**

**If you're looking for something newer, then play Persona 5.**

**If you want a good laugh, watch an Adam Sandler movie. You'll be tickled. I myself am quite amused and bemused that you expect me to make a single chapter devoted to it. Because that's not the genre of this story. I do not aim to make you laugh with a single chapter. **

**If you've already seen it, then don't read it. Why should I cater to your needs? I write for the enjoyment and the praise, not to cater to any single reader's personal wishes. I seek to please all MinaxMina fans as a whole.**

**If you didn't notice Minako's development... Wow. Just... Wow, is all I could say for you.**

**If you want a more enjoyable story, then seek it elsewhere. There are many authors with better stories than mine.**

**Have a good day looking.**

**On to happier notes:**

_1. I didn't know, people could just like that pass out...from nervousness... _

_2. Yes, I do have a lot hate for Minako in this story...and you already know it..._

_3. That doesn't make sense, he went out on a date with Yukari, just being friends and starts imagining as if Minako was there, then why did he even accept the date with Yukari in the first place? I mean he likes Minako, right?...And you actually going more deep and deep into with Minato and Minako relationship...if so...why the hell put Yukari in the poll decision? Speaking of which, when is it gonna end, I'm so damn impatient to see the damn results! In which I have bad feeling anyway..._

_**Okay, I'll answer this:**_

_**1. Neither could I. But apparently, they can.**_

_**2. Duly noted.**_

_**3. Well, all I could say is that he could go on a date. He's single! And they're going out as friends. That would be a problem if he was romantically involved with either of them.**_

_**Why is Yukari on the poll...? Um, because she's a choice, and you guys get to choose?**_

_**Oh, the poll is gonna end whenever it gets enough votes.**_

_**Now a question from a friend of mine.**_

_Sup, OPD (I'm not gonna stop using that name, haha)_

_I really do love where you're headed with this story. With all this CD (character development), I feel that you have a very strong sense of what your writing style is like, and how to use it well. I am very happy to say that this is becoming twice as good as Days of Summer, mostly b/c you're using my Persona 3 OTP here._

_Now, for some baddies (just two):_

_Can you edit this a bit more? B/c it was extremely hard to understand that the guys and Yuko were playing basketball. All you said was that there's a gym on the 16'th. Try saying something like basketball court._

_Also, about halfway through the chapter, you wrote ,y instead of my._

_Always a pleasure,_

_-Urter_

_**Haha, yeah, NC doesn't fit me, but it sounds cool. You can still call me OPD if you want.**_

_**Thanks! I actually thought it was too soon for Minako to develop, but looks like it ended well. **_

_**Days of Summer... For some reason, I feel like writing more about it, but the story ended...**_

_**Also, I would've never known you liked MinaxMina as your OTP. Mainly because your PP is Aigis, so I assumed you're a MinaxAigis fan.**_

_**Okay, as for the cons...**_

_**Actually, it was Rio playing basketball. And don't worry, I'll change it ASAP.**_

_**And as for that typo... I'm writing with an iPad, so the buttons are all clumped up. Hope you don't mind.**_

_**Hope to hear again from you!**_

_**Also, I can't develop Minato even more, since others may call him too "OOC". Minako is the only one I can safely experiment with.**_

_**Done! If you guys see an error, report it and I'll fix it ASAP. Let's see if you giys got what it takes to make mincemeat out of the maestro! Read and review. And tell me of your reactions!**_


	36. Nightly Visit

**_A/N: wazzap people?! I won't keep you long, but I finally did it._**

**_What, you ask? Well, I finally wrote the first chapter of Days of Winter. It's MinaxMitsu, for those curious. Also, the usual "third wheel love" would be someone you guys know from this fic._**

* * *

_(11/15/10)_

_Thursday..._

I woke up today feeling extremely anxious. Mainly the fact that Minako would either laugh at my attempt at confessing (if she knew,) or would love me back, something that frightened me equally.

I ran out and took a bath.

After that, I washed my face and listened to my music as I stared at my anxious face.

_"Dreamless dorm... Ticking clock... I walk away... From the soundless room... Windless nights... Moonlight melts-"_

Someone was knocking hard on the door.

"One minute!" I shouted.

_"My ghostly shadow, to the lukewarm glow, nightly dance of bleeding sword... Reminds me that I still live... I WILL BUR-"_

The banging became louder.

"What the fuck man?!" Lee's angry voice asked.

I opened the door, "Sorry, I- GALLOPING GARGOYLES!"

Lee's hair, usually so straight and controlled, was a mess of entangled, curly locks. His face looked haggard and unkempt. He practically grew a small beard overnight.

"You can mess with my hot spring fantasies, but never fuck with a man's morning bath!" He said as he went in.

"Well, never fuck with a man about to sing the chorus of Burn My Dread..." I muttered as I got ready.

Well, in a nutshell, we were allowed to go anywhere we wanted to this day, provided we run in packs, and the school wouldn't be responsible if we get mugged or raped (applies to the boys too.), so naturally, we consulted Minako.

"Well, if I had a say-" she began.

"You'd force it on us even if we didn't." Junpei said.

"-I'D say, we go to the Yankees Stadium and the ESB." Minako said, acting as if Junpei didn't speak.

"That sounds good. Everyone?" I asked.

Everyone mumbled assent, Lee shouted "AMEN!" from the bathroom.

So then, we got prepared. I noticed Naoto bringing a laptop and file book with her.

"What's there?" I asked.

"Oh, my apologies... My grandfather forwarded a case file to me from his client from New York. I don't see why not." She said.

"A case?" I said seriously.

"Correct." She said.

We logged our names into the logbook.

I nodded and we went to the taxi's. Lee threatened the driver with violence and death if he planned to farm us by going the wrong way. The driver was terrified and we arrived there within a few minutes, weaving through traffic. We paid the driver.

"No tip?" He said hesitantly.

Lee threw him a 1000 yen, "Don't spend it on cologne, son."

The driver looked furious, but didn't dare protest.

We got some tickets (Minako knew the ticket salesperson) and we went to the box seats, watching a game with the Red Sox.

"What luck getting tickets on the exact day with the Red Sox in town?" Minako said.

"Well, Fortuna is a fickle whore indeed." Lee said, "One day she ruins your life, the next your dreams come true."

Fuuka squeezed his arm.

"Uh, sorry. I meant that Fortuna is one capricious lady." Lee said.

The game began.

Minako began talking to many of her friends at the stadium, all Sox fans in the immediate vicinity,

"Oooh! I read all about these guys!" Yukari said, "Mostly about Carl Yas- Yasa- Yasasa-"

"Yastrzemski." Minako and a few other irate Sox fans said.

"And the 'Curse of the Bambino'..?"

Everyone glared at her.

"Hey, be quiet about that..." Minako whispered, "Let's go Red Sox!" She said three times, and everyone followed suit.

"Hey ump! Get off your ass, you're blowing the game!" A guy with dirty blond hair with sporadic hairstyle and dark brown eyes said. His outfit consists of a long green open jacket with a raised collar, a white T-shirt underneath and blue jeans.

"Calm down, Joey." His friend said.

"That kid is killing me with the laptop." A lady said as she jutted her chin at Naoto, "Doing her homework here!"

"She's pretty busy, Tess." Minako said, "She's a Detective."

"Detective!" Tess scoffed, "Back in my day, we would go out and play in rivers after working the fields!"

"What year was that, Tess? 18-forgotten?" Minako joked.

"Oh, very funny. You're same as ever, Minako." Tess said as she laughed with everyone,

Minako began singing, as did several other Sox fans.

_"Where it began,_

_I can't begin to knowin'_

_But then I know it's growing strong,_

_Was in the spring,_

_And spring became the summer,_

_Who'd have believed you'd come along._

_Hands, touchin' hands,_

_Reachin' out, touchin' me touchin' you,_

_Sweet Caroline!_

_Ba Ba Ba!_

_Good times never seemed so good!_

_So good! So good! So good!_

_I've been inclined,_

_To believe they never would,_

_But now I, look at the night,_

_And it don't seem so lonely,_

_We fill it up with only two."_

The guy earlier glared at Minako angrily.

"What are you looking at?" Minako said.

"This is Yankee turf, little lady," the guy said with a Brooklyn accent.

"So? Want me to shove a Fenway Frank up your ass or something?" Minako snarled.

"Shut up, girlie!" He said.

"That all you got?" Minako said.

He looked enraged.

"Joey, no!" His friend said.

"YOU AIN'T SEEN NUTHIN' TILL YOU SEE MY BROOKLYN RAGE!" He bellowed.

"S.T.F.U. Dude." Minako said.

Joey opened his mouth to say something, but a loud crack like lightning erupted.

"Foul ball!" Everyone hit the deck.

It had knocked someone unconscious. It knocked Naoto unconscious.

"Naoto!" We screamed.

"I'll bring her back, you guys stay here." I said.

"But-"

"He's right! The father must do it! That's a father's duty!" Junpei said.

"I am not his child..." Naoto hissed weakly as she held her head.

I took her to the medical room, where they found nothing wrong, other than a light concussion.

She insisted we go back to the hotel, since she'd like to review her case instead of being a possible target for foul balls.

I accompanied her back.

"To be frank, it was the hat that saved me." Naoto said with a smile.

"Huh?" I said in confusion.

"It isn't just a stylish fashion wear, it also serves as a ballistic helmet of sorts, able to stop 40. Caliber bullets... In theory."

We went back to the hotel. Naoto and I were alone.

"Well?" I said as she fidgeted.

"M-my apologies. I never, ever been with a boy alone before." Naoto said as she opened her laptop.

"This person, who prefers to be known as "MarcusPorciusTheElder", wants me to find this person." She said as she gave me a picture.

The man looked incredibly pale, had silvery hair that had been shorn cruelly by rough blades and his eyes were gold. He looked well fed though, and familiar; though I didn't know who.

"Through some informants, I would meet them at the lounge. And I was told to leave the information under the bathroom septic tank." Naoto said.

"I'm coming with you." I said.

She seemed surprised, "But why?"

"Because you're a girl."

She blushed, "Wh-What!? Being a girl doesn't mean anything!"

I insisted upon it and she agreed, albeit grudgingly.

She talked to a sketchy guy and wrote everything down. She talked with a few more and finally went to me after a few hours.

"Now it's your turn." She said, handing me a waterproof envelope and gloves, "The right one would be the one with the envelope full of money."

"Well, I did sign up for this..." I sighed.

I went to the bathroom and pasted it after I took an envelope.

It was filled with $10,000, nearly 1,009,700 yen.

Naoto looked exuberant, "Success! Shall we split the money?"

"No, it was your case-"

"I insist." She said and I finally relented and received $5000.

"Who did you investigate?" I asked.

"My sincerest apologies, but I cannot divulge information on my clients." She said.

"Of course." I said quickly, "Sorry."

"Although, I do live a charmed life." Naoto said as she removed her cap.

"Yikes! You have another head up there!" I cried.

"Yes, well, the one who can speak needs to say that Minato-san is a good friend."

"Why thanks." I said, "Well, it has been a few hours. Do you think we should stay put?"

"Indeed. Please guide me to the room, since I am a little disoriented today." She said.

"Not yet." I said slyly.

I guided her to the 6th floor, the "Stanford's Imagination Nation Food Restaurant" where we could make any sort of food we could.

Our plates were made of pancakes and I made peanut butter and gravy sandwiches while Naoto made a taffyburger, like a cheeseburger, except it was taffy instead.

We then made some chocolate omelette, beef cooked in grape juice, pork cheese cake, offals in grease, blood pie, chocolate soup, beef tart and chicken steaks.

After that, we probably had the worst case of diarrhea ever.

After we recovered somewhat, we noticed on the News that there had been a riot at the Yankee stadium with the tag:

_"BASEBALL HOOLIGANS STARTS A RIOT"_

With a video of the melee. Joey, that kid, kept on throwing cards at everyone. I also saw Lee throwing flares and beating people up.

Quan, Kenji and Junpei seized one of the pitchers, a Yankee, and stripped him of his clothes and Junpei took his ball.

Minako, Yukari, Fuuka, Rio and Pink calmly took a picture of herself with a smiling batter, whose name was probably Johnny or Damon or something and a few other guys and then Minako grabbed a Yankee pitcher and tore off his baseball shirt and cap as he looked terrifed.

Naoto and I were worried about them.

Then, like magic, the door swung open.

"We're ho-" Lee cried, then covered his nose, "-ly shit, what the fuck is that smell?!"

Everyone covered their noses. Naoto and I looked at each other guiltily.

"We don't know." I said, noting that the bathroom had been nuked by Naoto and I.

"Well, whatever it is, it smells like a dead water buffalo!" Junpei said.

"Whoever smelt it, dealt it." Quan said mischievously, "Lee!"

"Fuck you! I didn't do that!" Lee said.

We opened the windows and sprayed air fresheners.

After reassuring them that Naoto was okay, Naoto asked;

"What happened?"

Minako related that Joey and her had a fight and they started throwing down, while Joey threatened to use some Red Eyes Dragon on him, while Minako punched him in the face.

The others got riled up and got to blows. Lee was given some flares by an extremist and he had fun with it.

Junpei and the others got to the fields and plundered everything, hence the bag. When Naoto and I noticed Gatorade bottles, we took them and downed them instantly.

After that, they escaped from the police.

"Pretty surprising." I said, "Naoto and I solved a case."

We told them about it.

"That's no good, what if he's some crazy fool?" Junpei said.

"You didn't ask Naoto to do this, right Junpei? Cause there's no bigger fool than you." Kenji said.

"Shaddap!"

We had some nice times today and we shopped on the Giftshoppes downstairs. I bought Akihiko the largest, bulkiest supplements from the fitness section and everyone bought lots of stuff.

Then, we went back up for dinner and returned to our rooms.

As the guys went to sleep, I remembered that Minako never mentioned the letter.

"Hey, good night!" She said.

"Good night." I said.

I we t to bed, but I couldn't sleep, so I decided to head for the balcony. Junpei and Lee were there.

"Sup dude? Can't sleep?" Junpei asked.

"Have a seat, buddy." Lee said, "Here, drink this, it's Earl Grey."

I took a seat and sighed as I sipped my tea.

"Problems?" Lee asked.

"Well... I wrote Minako a letter, but I'm none too sure if she received it," I said, "Or even acknowledge it."

Junpei and Lee looked at each other.

"You need to do a yobai, bro!" Junpei said.

I choked on my tea, "Y-Yobai?!"

"Yup, you heard me!" Junpei said.

"Me? Do a yobai? Never!"

"Just do it, man!" Lee said, "Nothing like a nightly nookie."

"You truly are a miserable sight." Junpei said, "There is no such thing as a girl who'd refuse a yobai with you. Unheard of!"

"...seriously?" I asked.

"Yep. It's true." Lee said.

"Who though? You have two great girls!" Junpei said.

"Huh?" I said.

"Yukari-chan is a gentle, kind girl... She could give birth to 10 children with that nice pelvis of hers!" Lee said.

"Although, Minako could give her a run for her money. Besides, she's strong and spirited. Nothing more hot than taming a wild mare." Junpei said.

"Man, I'm going to sleep-" I said immediately.

"In Minako's room?" Junpei added.

"No!" I said as I ran to my room.

I laid there, looking up the ceiling.

For a moment, I almost fell into Lee and Junpei's temptation.

Then, I looked at the sliding door beside my futon. Minako's room was beyond that room.

"I've been waiting for you..." I imagined her saying while wearing a loose yukata.

I couldn't get these crazy ideas out of my head! If only those two fools didn't give me those ideas...

However, if I did go through with this, it would be the greatest proof that I'm manlier than they.

"No! That's wrong... If they catch me, it'll be the end of everything! But..." I find myself grinning, "_If_ they catch me... Besides, I'm only gonna be a few minutes!" I said to myself excitedly.

I slid the door open, "You awake?" I asked.

To my surprise, Minako was sprawled asleep, and she was sleeping with Yukari but they did leave a considerable space in the middle.

"Yukari is here too, eh? Well, it does make sense that girls would sleep together..." I muttered.

Though Yukari's presence threw a wrench in my plans, I decided to go with it.

I landed in between them, feeling hot for some reason, even though the AC was cold.

"Oooh! Minako's face is so close!" My mind shouted.

Then, as I enjoyed their warmth and sleeping faces, I realized something,

"Shit! This is a very bad idea! I better get out of here before I get caught!" I said in my head.

Then, Yukari turned to her side and hugged me, pinning my leg with her right leg as Minako hugged me too, pinning me with her legs.

Yukari's breasts were in my face as Minako's inner thigh was rested on my groin. And since they were wearing yukatas...

"DAMN IT!" I screamed in my mind, "Now isn't the time to get all excited! I have to haul ass!"

I moved an inch and another, then I looked directly at Minako's awoken eyes in horror.

"WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, MINATO?!" She said, but my hand muffled her mouth.

"Shhhhh!" I said, "This isn't what it looks like! It ain't a nightly visit or a yobai!"

Her eyes softened, "N-Nightly visit...?"

Minako's expressive, long slitted eyes and her lips as soft as jelly... Were they always this cute?

She panted as if she had ran a marathon. She just kept staring at me, until she grimaced.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I... I need to pee." She said, then, seeing the look in my face, "It was because it's dark and I have a bit of night blindness."

"Do you want me to go with... You?" I asked.

She fidgeted and I found myself accompanying her to the bathroom.

"Plug your ears! I'll be really mad if you hear!" She warned as she shut the door.

I thought about how pretty and mature Minako was becoming... She had really grown up...

"I'm done," she said.

I jumped and smiled nervously.

"Is there... Anything bothering you?" She asked.

"Well... Did you recieve anything?" I asked.

Her eyes shined, "Wait here." She said as she went in her room.

She came back holding a letter, "Read it, someone sent it to me."

Although I knew what the contents held, I read it.

_**My dearest and beloved Minako,**_

_**I know that by the time you read this letter you will have known how I truly feel about you. **_

_**I just want to tell you that I feel very lucky and thankful to the high spirits that I have a friend like you. A friend I could depend on, to make me laugh when I'm sad, a shoulder to cry on when I'm depressed or even someone I could trust with my life. You'll have my back and I'll have yours...for life. **_

_**I would also like you to know that I had left something inside, something I kept from you all this time we've known each other...**_

_**I love you Minako, not in a friendly, brotherly way but as one who would feel like spending the rest of my life with. I have always loved you even from the start, though I didn't know it.**_

_**I guess it just bloomed with the days gone by. And that's why the happiest days of my life was… when you were by my side, which is everyday, actually.**_

_**You just don't know how I dreamed of you at night and wake up in the morning with my dreams coming true each day for you were with me. **_

_**When you were away, I can't stop pining for your company and affections, mainly because I was afraid to think that you are with another guy, forgetting me in the process. I just can't bear to see you with another guy I just want you all to myself. I may sound selfish but that's how I really feel.**_

_**Each time you held me close to you, was like a dream coming true, for to be close to you and feel your heart beating next to mine was like smelling the high heavens at the end of the day.**_

_**Sometimes I imagined that you were jealous and fooled myself that it was a sign that you feel something for me too. Of course, that wasn't so hard to do. **_

_**I wanted to tell you… how much I love you but I decided that I just couldn't do it. I could not bear to hear that all you feel for me is just brotherly hand of love. For I want you to love me as a guy and not as a boy or playmate. I want to be yours, forever and always. So I wrote a letter, in hopes that you'll not laugh in my face in utter rejection.**_

_**I love you Minako, and as Romeo did for Juliet, I will forsake my name and be yours, for all time.**_

_**If you cause my downfall, it would be my sweetest downfall, like Samson endured for Delilah.**_

_**I love you as much as Paris loved Helen. As long as we're together, I keep forgetting the petty disputes of the world, their bitter fighting and whatnot. No, what matters most to me is you.**_

_**I'll save you from the underworld like Orpheus and Eurydice, follow you anywhere like Thanatos and Death... And I'll love you like Messiah loved Magdalene.**_

_**Till death do us part... No, I hardly believe that Death would ever stop me from loving you as I do now.**_

_**P.S.: Think of me sometimes... and always remember that loving you was the best thing that ever happened in my life."**_

I smiled.

"Whoever wrote that must really like me..." She sighed. "I didn't show it, since it's only for important people... Like you."

"Yeah..." I said dreamily.

"I wish I could meet him..." She said.

How I wanted to hold her and say, "He's right next to you." But my lack of courage failed me.

"Minako... I-" Isaid quietly.

"Yes?"

At that moment, I felt like kissing her, feeling her lips on mine, our noses colliding.

"Never mind." I said.

"Well, we better sleep, yeah? Good night." She said as she ran to the room.

I punched myself for letting that moment slip as I went to bed.

* * *

_**A/N: Well, I hope you'd love it. Anytime you'd feel like reading it, I'd appreciate it. Review though. Nothing worse than someone who reads without reviewing... Lower than a snake's bellybutton... If they even have one. Especially the ones who get angry at being told to. I have no time for people who do that.**_

_**For this chapter... Enjoy! Yep. You heard me.**_

_**Also, the 'game' taking place is purely fictional.**_

_**Time to answer reviews!**_

_You know, Minato finally said that he loves Minako and I don't think it's a matter of choice anymore...I mean, he loves MInako now, but what change it's gonna bring if Yukari wins the poll?...To be honest, I think I already know who's gonna win..._

_**Dude, sit back and drink some tea. Watch how things progress, okay? Whoever you think will win, eh? Vote then, no one is sure who'd win.**_

_**Next one...**_

_But i thought that since this was Days of Autumn it would revolve most of (if not all) around MinaxMina, instead it went MinakoxMinato and YukarixMinato, not saying that that's bad, it just doesn't make sense to me, Days of Summer went YukarixMinato all the way (except for that part where he kinda dated Mitsuru) so i thought it would go only Minako and Minato on this one._

_By the way i found an error in the last line of the A/N. You said giys insted of guys. Looks like i made mincemeat you of you._

_As always keep up the good work and i look forward to the next one._

_**Hello!**_

_**Usually, love stories need conflict to make them spicier. Just knowing that he could love or hate either one is thrilling. And Days of Summer, Mitsuru was MinaxMitsu, actually it was suppose to be MinaxMitsu, but MinaxYuka fans begged for an Alt. ending, so I gave it to them. **_

_**So you did.**_

_**Next one...**_

_You are such an amazing author, and really I enjoy all of it, even though many people say to many OC's is too much, I say you got enough. And ever chapter is freaking awesome. And when you got Naoto on the scene, I fell out of my chair!_

_Now all we need is a Joey Wheeler cameo and him going into BROOKLYN RAGE and this story will have reached god status..._

_**Thank you! I really do hope you enjoyed it thus far. And as for you falling off your chair... I hope you didn't break a bone or something...**_

_**Also, did I do the Brooklyn Rage right? Yugioh doesn't appear on my network.**_

_**Done! Review anything you want to report.**_

**And yes, I am a review begger. Thanks for whoever said that. That is the truest thing they've said in their short lives.**


	37. Love in the Sleepless City

**_A/N: will Minato finally confess his true feelings to Minako before they leave the City that Never Sleeps? Will Minako act badly on it? Also, sorry if it seemed rushed on the first part. I needed some breathing room for the HS scene and the dinner scene.  
_**

**_Note: I would also like it if some new reviewers would add some mix into the reviews, instead of secretly skimming and steal glances off the story._**

* * *

(11/16/10)

Friday...

I woke up with a start. I had a nightmare about Minako dating Shinjiro, and that he woke up from the hospital... but utterly impossible... Right?

Today, we were scheduled to go to the Empire State Building and just there, apparently.

"This isn't gonna end well." Minako said wearily, "I am 110% acrophobic."

We went to the Empire State Building, where Minako kept shaking in her boots.

"Damn it!" She said in fear as she grasped the railing.

We basically went to the top and looked around before heading home.

Minako came back, looking somewhat proud of herself.

"Listen up! I've got an announcement to make. I bought more apple juice, and I don't want anyone drinking it. Try to have some decency and respect for other people's stuff." She looked pointedly at Junpei.

"Hey, what are you looking at me for?" Junpei said.

"Because I know you drank it." She said.

"Did you see me do it?" Junpei retorted.

"I don't care. I'm being really nice right now... Don't touch it or there will be retribution."

"Retribution my balls!" Junpei spat.

"Grow some!" Minako spat back.

Everyone laughed.

"Better not touch her stuff." Lee said, "She might castrate you."

"Hey, we go home tomorrow..." Pinky said.

"Well, that was quick!" Junpei said, "Seemed like only six days!"

"That's because it was six days, Stupei." Rio said.

"I love this girl!" Kenji said.

"Why don't we all have dinner tonight?" Yukari asked, "It IS our last night here."

"Sounds good."

We all got ready to go to dinner, which we were very eager to do and went to the meeting place at the 12fth floor.

I wore a grey polo shirt with a red tie, Junpei wore a peach sports coat, Kenji wore a black shirt with a cream vest, Lee wore a long sleeve polo with vest and a bow tie. Naoto, in order to keep up appearances, she wore a blue polo shirt with a yellow tie.

"Where are those girls? They were suppose to be here ten minutes ago!" Lee said impatiently.

"Oh, you know girls... They're probably powdering their noses or doing what girls do." Kenji said.

"I hope." Junpei said.

A group of American teenaged girls came forward to us.

"Hey guys!" A cheery brunette said, "You guys look lost. Want us to show you around?"

"Yeah! We know ALLL the greatest places to go!" A black haired girl said.

"And we can show you things you've never seen before!" A red headed cutie said.

"Yep! And we'll take very good care of you guys." A girl with bluish-green hair said.

"Sorry, we're waiting for someone else." I said.

"Come on!" Lee whispered, "Haven't you heard of what redheads can do?"

"Sorry, but we're not interested." Naoto said, "At all."

The girls, even us, looked at her in shock.

"Come on, we're just trying to be friendly!" The black haired girl said.

"Again, sorry. Even if we did want to go out,it wouldn't be with you... Uh, for lack of a better term, _girls_." Naoto said bluntly.

We were totally shocked.

"Let's go." The brunette said as they left.

Lee scribbled something on his black book, "Note...to...self... Never invite Naoto out... When planning to... pick up... girls..."

The girls arrived a minute later. They were indeed very elegant. Ad they wore pretty dresses, each same though differently colored.

"Whoa, looking good!" Lee said.

"Why thank you!" The girls said.

"Those dresses really look cute!" Kenji said.

"Especially the frills and colors!" Quan said.

The girls looked at Quan.

"Never mind. Let's go eat some endangered fish. I'm psyched," Quan said.

We entered and ordered some food.

"I'll have a sizzling steak, filet mignon, lamb kebab and a bottle of your best wine." I said.

"I'll have a salad, fruit cake and cheesecakes." Yukari said.

"I'll have a turkey, quail and some roasted pork." Minako said.

"That sounds unhealthy." Junpei said.

"I don't usually eat food unless they have expiration dates on them." Minako said.

When Kenji ordered several unhealthy foods, Rio berated him angrily.

"My god! Kenji, this is why you look like a walking skeleton! When we come back, you go to my house and I'll fatten you up like you need to!" Rio cried.

"Yes Rio-chan..." Kenji said in defeat.

"Champagne! Wine! Drinks all around!" Lee said loudly as he passed the wine and champagne around.

"Hey... Is this... alcohol?!" Yukari asked.

"No, it ain't 'alcohol'! It's booze!" Lee said, "Besides, we're only here until tomorrow, lighten up!"

Yukari shrugged and took a few sips.

"So, did you guys watch Chelsea last night?" Lee asked excitedly.

"Not interested." Minako said flatly.

"Ya know, there are other sports than just baseball." Lee said crossly.

"'Just baseball'...? I'd like to debate you on that, Lee, but that would only lead to me getting dragged away in handcuffs." Minako said.

Lee left it at that as he ordered French cheese.

"So, Naoto-kun... You sure your last name isn't Arisato?" Junpei said.

Naoto let out a deep, patient sigh, "For the last time Junpei-senpai, Minato-san and I look nothing alike-"

"I'm sure of it. Minato's dad has a lot of explaining to do...or Minato himself!" Junpei cried.

Naoto just breathed an annoyed sigh.

Then, a very welcomed face came to grace our table.

"May we join you?" Mitsuru asked.

"Ah, Directress Kirijo!"Lee said respectfully, "Please have a seat."

"Thank you, Aida." Mitsuru said.

We were still mouth agape at Lee's courteousness.

"Enjoying your stay?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, it's been a dream!" Junpei said. He downed a few glasses of wine and was feeling jolly, "In America, everything here is free!"

"And thanks for sponsoring it." Minako said, "It must've been expensive to do so."

"Actually, it was not I who sponsored this trip, nor the school... It came from a very unlikely benefactor..." Mitsuru said.

"Benefactor? Who?" Quan asked.

"Why, Cato Romano. He sponsored the trip himself." Mitsuru said.

Junpei, Lee, Kenji, Quan and I choked on our wine.

"Isn't that nice of him?" Pinky said.

"Well, looks like Cato has some good in him after all!" Minako said.

"Yeah, I never expected that from him!" Rio said.

"I don't know, it smells really fishy to me!" Kenji said loudly, "I bet he plans to switch planes and plant a bomb in ours!"

"That, or something else! He'll hog all the peanuts!" Junpei said.

"Why that no-good little-" Lee then abused Cato with a long, vulgar, rather eloquent rant. All we did was say, 'Yeah!' and 'That's right!'. After he was done, he panted for air.

"No doubt he has ulterior motives." Mitsuru said, "Regardless, he still sponsored this trip, and I suppose we must be greatful."

"I doubt Cato would sponsor the trip from the goodness of his heart..." I said, "Rather, he wanted to go here with all of us, so he'd be less suspected."

"Of what, rather?" Mitsuru said as we all looked at Naoto.

"W-Why are you all looking at me?" Naoto asked, obviously flustered.

"You're a detective."

"Hmmm... I'll do a little research." Naoto said.

Since we were still seething about Cato, Minako decided to change the subject.

"I've been cleaning my room recently. Since yours was so clean, I'd thought of following your example, bud." Minako said to me.

"Yeah, Minato's room is pretty dang clean." Yukari said, "Cleaner than any other boys room."

"Wait, you guys have been into Minato-kun's room?" Fuuka said.

"You too, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru said.

Everything seemed too awkward.

I looked at Mitsuru.

"I suddenly feel very reticent."

"You're so wierd, Mitsuru-san!" Minako said skittishly, "Haha, am I right?!"

"Moving on!" I said quickly.

"Hey Minato, smell this." Lee said as he opens a platter of cheese and makes me smell it.

It looked like it was melting, but it wasn't, it was lined with blue mold, but it smelled even worse. It had a sweaty, strong and repulsive smell.

"Ugh, it smells like hell! What is it?!" I said as I pinched my nose.

"French Cheese." He said as he smelled it with relish.

"It smells nauseous!" Yukari cried as she took a sniff.

"It's suppose to smell that way!" Lee said in an annoyed tone.

"Ah, yes... Quite a taste there, Lee." Mitsuru said.

"Thanks, milady!" Lee said as he took another sniff.

"You bought that sweaty sock just to smell it?" Rio said, "You coulda just asked! I would've given you mine!"

We all laughed flippantly at her comment.

Junpei then hugged Quan. He was obviously a little tipsy.

"I love you Quan!" Junpei said drunkenly as he put his arms around him.

"This guy had one too many." Kenji muttered.

"Become my woman! I'll bring you to paradise with me!" Junpei said as he slapped Quan's butt.

"YOU CAN GO THERE ALONE!" Quan bellowed as he delivered a skull crushing haymaker to Junpei's head, knocking him out cold.

"Amazing!" Yukari squealed.

"Dang. Wendy Wu's strong." Lee said.

"Quit calling me that!" Quan snarled.

"Where is Chidori-san?" Fuuka asked.

"She's busy with work. But she'll be going home with us." Mitsuru said.

Minako squeaked.

"Hey guys, I only told Minato this, but since we're all friends, I decided to tell you guys about a love letter sent to me... Want to hear it?" She asked.

Everyone mumbled assent. I was about to protest, but I remembered she wasn't supposed to know.

She read the letter with feelings.

"Whoever wrote it," Mitsuru declared, "Has officially won my heart as well."

"Agreed!" Pinky said while sobbing, "So touching!"

"I would like to meet him..." Minako said quietly and hopefully.

Minako displayed a very rare side of her... She was reserved, quiet and controlled... Suddenly, a desire to know her resurfaced again. Knowing that I'd do the same thing I did nights ago, I felt the need to prove myself. Tonight or nothing.

"Dawww, you like him!" Lee said.

"Lee, you're the team's muscle." Minako said gruffly, "So don't force me to make you team's pussy."

"Come on, Minako, admit it! You've always had a thing for me!" Lee said, "I can see your lady-boner through your jeans!"

"That's my dick!" Minako spat sardonically.

"Well, that's only because you got a big dick!" Lee said.

Minako smiled, "Trust me, Lee, if I did have a dick, I would've fucked you in the ass a long time ago."

Lee swallowed nervously.

"There's the Minako we all know and love!" Junpei said as he rose from the table.

"Minako's so hardcore..." Quan said.

Then, we ate a very hearty meal and went back up.

The boys were debating on going to the hot springs, that it irritated me and I went to the rooftop.

It wasn't deserted; the same redheaded girl who became my companion was present.

"Oh, Minato-kun!" Minako said, "Hello! I was just looking the city one last time before we leave." She said as she sat precariously on the edge.

"Aren't you afraid of falling?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm not." Minako said, "Besides, I know that... If I ever fall, you'll be there to catch me."

I blushed, "You're full of it, Minako."

She smiled and pointed to Bronx, "I had a house there."

I sat beside her.

"And I attended elementary and high school there." She points to Brooklyn.

Then, she looks at the bridge going to New Jersey.

"My parents met their end there." She said, on the verge of tears, "It was to pick me up from violin and piano practice..."

She then broke down. I comforted her and she hugged me back, "I'm... I'm sorry... I must look like a mess..."

I got her up, "It's okay to cry. Just cry, and cry, then laugh."

I wish I never said that. She bawled loudly and hugged me, staining my shirt with tears. I only held her close, hoping this wouldn't end.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh, my sides! Hahahaha!" Minako laughed, "Hey, I feel much better now!"

"I'm glad." I said as I began to dance a slow waltz with her.

She smiled, "You know... I could really get used to this..."

"Mmm... So can I." I twirled her and caught her with one hand.

She looked me in the eyes, "I like you, Minato-kun..." She breathed, "You make me feel good."

My heart did a thousand somersaults. My blood raced to my head. But I controlled the urge to faint. It was now or never.

"I like you too, Minako." I said, "Much more than I'd want to."

She smiled, "I'll take that as a compliment." She hugged me tightly, "You are very special to me." She looked at me with those beautiful eyes.

I brushed her hair behind her ears and she seemed to read my mind, for she had closed her eyes.

I went closer and closer. Finally, after days of failure, our lips met.

Hers felt as soft as the promised. She had the faint flavor or cinnamon and spicy berries. She held me in her embrace as I wanted to stay this way forever.

"Hey! There you are!" Junpei shouted, opening the door loudly, disrupting and forsaking the romantic air.

"We're going to the hot springs. We finally decided." Junpei said.

Minako pulled away from me in embarrassment.

"Was I disturbing something?" He asked.

"Yes." I said loudly.

"N-No..." Minako said, "I gotta go!"

"Minako!"

She went running.

"Junpei, you have gotta be the biggest cock blocking robot in the world, built in an underground lair or something." I said as I went down.

"Hey! I resent that!"

* * *

**Author's notes: Twice did Junpei interrupt a sweet moment... Next stop: hot springs!**

**Questions and answers**

_**Love the story.**_

_**I'm looking forward to the next chapters. You always keep us expecting more the dropping the cliffhanger suddenly, making us want more and more. Keep it up, story is going great. Oh and I really like minatoxminako's relationship.**_

_Thank you! I like their relationship too! So sweet._

_ **ThePersonaficationOfNight **_

_**YAY Update, funny and awesome chapter like always, with the occasional tease between the two, Noato being smashed in the face was really funny, and there weird food combinations lol!**_

_**The letter was really really touching but the dumbass forgot to write his name, but like I said these small perks will lead to something epic in the end.**_

_**And being stuck between Yukari and Minako? Lucky dog.**_

_Yep. Something I'd do or happen to me if I were in New York._

_Also, if you look closely, Minato tore off the bottom half of the letter._

_Lucky indeed, but is he pushing his luck? Read to kmow more!_

_ **ReachingOutFES **_

_**Come on Minato! Be a man and confess or else it would be too late!**_

_**Props to you for the brooklyn rage reference... I still find myself quite surprise after reading his nightly visit... **_

_**Next time I hope! **_

_**P.S. I hope the poll ends soon or you might find yourself dragging the story longer than you originally intended just to get more votes.**_

_Did I do the Brooklyn Rage correctly?_

_Oh yeah, the poll shall end after 40 votes. 35 have voted so far. But I will close it soon._

_ **blablabla6h **_

_**WOW! Minato, is such a dumbass...and what the hell is a YOBAI? Something sexual I assume...I already voted...but I'm sure Minako would win this, sadly, and I'm surprised that Yukari won in the Days of Summer poll...and about the Days of Winter...about the Minato and Mitsuru...I'm pretty sure the "third one" is Minako, right? Cause, In Days of Summer...Yukari was most "focused one" and Mitsuru was the "third one" And so, After Days of Summer, Yukari is now the "third one"...in Days of Autumn...And so, if that's the case...hmm...Is my theory, correct?**_

_Why are you asking me? Google what Yobai is, you got internet, right?_

_Think what you want. The vote is a vote. And if the people vote what they want, I'll get them what they want,_

_No comment, though you are close._

_ **Radaketor**_

_**My recations:**_

_**When i got the Yugioh reference i was so surprised i had my jaw open for about 2 minutes.**_

_**When i first saw yobai writen, i thought to myself "Let's google it" googles yobai and clicks on the Urban Dictionary link, reads it... "WHAAAAAAA...".**_

_**When i read the letter that Minato wrote i said dawwwwww...**_

_**When Minato didn't tell her it was him i facepalmed so hard i broke my glasses.**_

_**This chapter was maybe the best so far, i'm really looking forward to Days of Winter, if i had to guess a third whell i would say it's Fuuka...**_

_**Good work once again.**_

_Did I do it right? I don't have Yugioh in my network._

_Yes, yobai! My favorite genre._

_ And an extra!_

_**NOOOOoooooooooooo! You changed the image!?...Ohhhh well it's just showing whoever it showing is unknown...but change it anyway, because It doesn't even look good the last one looked perfectly, you know what I'm saying, I mean that sounds reasonable enough, right!? I'm not pushing it...but keep it, man if you satisfied, I mean I'm telling that just for your own good, man...**_

_Yes I did. Problem?_

_I will not change it. No, it's not reasonable that you treat me like your bell boy. You're not the boss of me and you know nothing of "my own good", only I know what's good for myself. So, yeah, I'll do whatever I want to. Especially if it's my story, not yours._

_In short, it stays. And please stop complaining about the littlest things NOT related to the story._


	38. Legend of the Hot Spring

**_A/N: Well, here we are... The Hot Springs part...read and please review! I appreciated the last wave of reviewers a great deal! even though you have nothing to say, it'd be nice to hear from you! I'd like to hear your thoughts about the story thus far. I'm not a mind reader, after all._**

**_Also, I tend to update fast, so stick around for a few days and I'll update._**

* * *

Same day...

Evening, 10:30 PM...

We strode towards the baths at the topmost floor, where there was an indoor and outdoor artificial Hot Spring.

I wrapped my Yukata close towards my body for warmth as I shivered.

"Is it the men's time to enter?" Junpei asked the attendant.

"Yes." The lady said, "Sure of it."

"Now are you sure?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes, "For the hundredth time, it is men's only!" She said irritably, "Besides, rich studs like you with glamorous hair... I bet you wouldn't mind being looked at?"

Lee, Kenji, Quan and I brushed our hair pompously back with our hands. Junpei crossed his arms impatiently.

"That's right." Lee said.

"Thanks." I said as we went in.

The hot springs were elegant and warm. Junpei looked at an exit door and left it halfway open, using a sandal to leave it ajar.

"When in doubt, know your way out." He said.

"You guys are pretty high-strung." Lee said.

"After our near death experience last year, we wanna secure things." I said as we shedded our yukatas. Note, we wore towels to cover our loins.

"Nice pubes." Lee said to Quan, "So the carpet does match the drapes..."

"Quit looking." Quan said angrily.

"Alright, chill out Wendy Wu." Lee said.

"Grrrr!" Quan purpled.

We entered the hot springs. Boy, was it hot!

We swam around as we enjoyed the thermal effects.

"Whew! It's scorching!" Junpei said as we took cover in the rock alcoves and swam around some more.

"It's not called a hot spring cause it's cold." Kenji said.

"So... Any progress with Minako?" Lee asked as he washed his hair.

"You don't know the half of it!" I said.

"Spill it!" Quan cried.

"Come on." Kenji said.

"Fine!" I said, "We were kissing and Major Stupei, Ace Defective of the Cockblocker Squadron decided to ruin it all by barging in." I said bitterly.

"I resent that!" Junpei said, "Besides, you weren't exactly gonna score anyway. You weren't exactly 'storming the trenches' until the last minute!"

Everyone groaned, "Junpei, you can't just interrupt a guy when he's making a move, that is NOT okay!"

"Gimme a break..." Junpei said.

"Well, what about Yukari-chan? You two were the biggest love team last year!" Kenji said.

"Guys, I realize that I'll always have a place in my heart and soul for Yukari, but now I've reached a transition... I... I really like Minako. Now more than ever." I said.

"But what about your date with Yuka-tan?" Junpei asked.

"We just chatted like old friends." I said simply.

"More like rekindling the old flame!" Quan said.

"We're just friends. She just spoke of her problems to me. No more, no less." I said as I washed my face with hot spring water.

"Really? So you guys are that close? Like, super-duper close?" Lee said.

"Come on, give me a break, she was... confiding in me." I said.

"Confiding..." Kenji said derisively, "It's not confiding if she talks to you about her personal issues."

"Actually, it is." I said.

"I'll shell out ten thousand yen that they'll end up together, who wants to get in on the action?" Quan said.

"You're nuts if you actually think anyone would-" I said.

Lee threw him a lot with ten thousand yen. Kenji threw him one as well.

Junpei was writing on paper.

"Don't go there, buddy." I said, "And where do you guys keep all that paper?!"

"Either that or he's gonna be friendzoned. Minako all the way. It's a bet!" Junpei said.

"Here you go!" said Lee "Put mine with yours, Bro." Lee said.

"You already voted for Team Yukari!" Junpei cried.

"More chances of winning." Lee said.

"Aw, come on, can't we talk about normal stuff like basketball or something?"

"Hey, don't count on that, bro, no one here is normal, you know..." Lee said.

Everyone laughed.

"Am I suppose to take advice from a couple of idiots who left me to face the dangers of a crazy, rich kid and his hulk of a bodyguard while they emptied their ballsacks on a bottle of suntan lotion?!" I replied angrily.

"Hey, be quiet about that..." Quan said with a hushed tone.

"But dude, remember not to listen to your carnal desires bro." Kenji said.

"What the fuck are you going on about?!" I said.

"I'm saying we should enjoy the good times." Kenji said.

"Hahaha, yeah!" Lee said, "Like when my Doctor told me not to have sex and I did it anyway. Fuck the Doctor, that's what I say!" Lee said, "And now, my dick reddens everytime I get a boner."

"Dude, you should really listen to your Doctor..." Kenji said.

"Well, at least it isn't herpes... Unless you have that as well?" Quan said.

"Maybe. I'm none too sure." Lee said.

"O...kay..." Quan said as he moved away from Lee.

"What should we do to commemorate Minato's bravery?" Quan said, "Usually, it'd take him a lot of courage to pull that off."

"Usually?!" I sputtered angrily, "I've done thing that'd make your hair curl!"

"I know! Let's sign his cock!" Lee said.

"I'm not gonna let you sign my cock." I said.

"Why not?" Lee said, "Scared?"

"Because, I ain't gay." I said.

"It isn't gay if you're brothers." Junpei said.

"No, if you're brothers, it isn't gay. That's... that's something else." Kenji said darkly.

"I'll sign your cock!" Quan offered.

"Uh, no way. No one's signing my dick, unless they're signing a trip down the building with from the windows." I warned.

"Fine... Killjoy..." Lee muttered.

They relented and began joking around.

"I had a girlfriend once, and she gave me the clap." Lee said.

I choked on the water.

"What?"

"The clap?" I said.

"Yeah. That's like, a sexually transmitted disease... Sexually transmitted." He added with a wink. Junpei and Kenji moved slightly away from him.

"What?!" I said in disbelief.

"Get it? It was a sexually transmitted-"

"Disease!" I finished.

"Whatever, anyway, it wasn't hard for me to tell people that I had 'it'."

"You actually told people that?!" Kenji said in disbelief, "Who'd want to know THAT?!"

"Nah, they heard me screaming me head off everytime I took a piss." Lee said with a shrug. They moved even farther away from him.

"Ugh! Too much information alert!" Quan said.

"Of course, I did have to take a shitload of antibiotics for it... and it did make my earwax all greasy and it smelled like burnt rubber, but it was all cleared in the end." Lee said.

Again, we moved farther from him.

"Well, look," Kenji said, pointing to the clock, "It's almost time for the girl's turn."

"Time flies when you're having fun..." Quan said wistfully, "Or when you're naked with your classmates,"

I looked at Junpei, "Hurry."

"Oh come on, you sourpusses! I say we try the outdoor bath! Minato, go ahead, while the boys and I go check in the attendant." Lee said.

I went on ahead.

The outdoor bath was same as the indoor, only it's outdoor... It was for men and women, but it was abandoned today, except for a lone figure.

I went towards Naoto, who was hiding behind one of the ornamental rocks.

Due to her small and petite size, I couldn't see anything other than her shoulders and head. It was so steamy, I could barely see anything else.

"Naoto-kun?!" I hissed, "What are you doing?!"

"Taking a bath... Whew, it feels nice." She purred.

"Uh huh... Everyone would know you're a Detective... Who brings their hats in the bath?!"

She shrugged, "My idol, Raidou, perhaps?"

"Hey, this is a bad idea, Nao-kun, what if someone sees you?" I asked.

"Minato-san, just because I look like a male, doesn't mean I have to smell like one." She said, "And besides, the steam ensures no one would see me for who I am."

She took a deep breath and went underwater for a while and resurfaced.

"Okay, okay, alright, now get out of there, before you get all pruny." I said.

"Minato-san, if you're so worried, please go stand watch." She said nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah," I said, "Stand watch, Minato-san, while I blow our secret, with my dirty girl habits!" I said in a mock tone of her voice, "Hygiene..."

Then, the boys jumped in.

"Oh crap! You're doomed! There's a bunch of things I know they're about to notice!" I said.

Naoto went red and went lower.

"Me first, me first!" Kenji cried.

"Outta the way!" Lee cried.

"Haha, too late!" Junpei said as he jumped first, followed by Kenji.

"Whoa, it's hot!" Junpei said.

"Well, it's not called a hot spring for nothing, moron!" Kenji said.

Lee nodded to Quan. They checked the temperature of the water with their toes before reeling back, locking arms and jumping at once.

"ATOMIC CANNONBALL!" Junpei cried as he and Kenji tried to run away, but were swallowed by the wave. The boys rode the wave towards us.

"Hey, dudes!" Junpei said, "Spending some quality father-son time?"

"She- I mean, he's not my daughter! I mean son!" I said defensively.

"Oh, hello boys! I didn't know you were here!" Naoto said flusteredly, "I was just washing up, now I'm clean and I gotta go! Bye bye!"

"Come back here! I know we were tools to you before," Lee said as he did a backstroke, "So, let's start over- Hi, I'm Lee!" He said as he extended a hand as Naoto shook it.

"I'm Junpei." Junpei said.

She nodded and smiled.

"And I'm Kenji." Kenji said.

"Hello Junpei! Hello Kenji!" She said as she tried to go away.

"AND I AM QUAN! KING OF THE ROCK!" Quan bellowed as he climbed a boulder, "And there's nothing you girls can do about it."

He was in his birthday suit. Naoto shielded her eyes and averted her gaze.

"Oh yeah? Well, I bet Naoto and I can take you!" Lee cried as he did a karate pose, "All the way! Wait, that didn't sound right."

"I don't really want to take him anywhere." Naoto said dismissively.

"But Naoto, we HAVE to fight!" Junpei reasoned.

"No, we don't. We could just... Close our eyes... and swim around..." She said as she tried to go away.

Kenji wrapped an arm around Naoto, "C'mon, don't be such a g-GIRL!" "YEOW!" Kenji cried as I went and bit him on the butt, "Something bit me!"

I spat out discreetly, "What nasty flavor."

"Girl!" Lee hissed as he pointed at a group of girls.

Naoto used that distraction to slip away unseen.

"Aaaah! It's been sometime since I've been to one of these!" Pinky sighed.

"I went in one, at the Amagi Inn last year... It was nice." Rio said.

"It feels like the one we went to last year." Yukari said.

"Minus the men..." Fuuka muttered.

"Indeed. It was hard-pressed for me to find a skilled enough worker to make these..." Mitsuru said, "But it was worth it."

"Today's my first time." Minako admitted.

"Don't worry," Yukari reassured, "You'll never forget your first."

They went in the baths and swam around.

"Oh my!" Minako breathed, "It sure is hot..."

"I heard there are positive side-effects in going to hot springs..." Fuuka said.

"Bravo, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari noted, "This is wonderful."

Mitsuru beamed at her, "Why, thank you."

"Why don't we swim around?" Pinky suggested.

"Swim around? I'll melt." Rio said.

"Splash one!" Pinky said as she splashed water onto Rio's face.

"Argh! Take this!" Rio retaliated with a torrent.

"Ow! My eyes!" Pinky said.

"Take this, Yukari!" Minako said as she splashed Yukari.

"Oh, ha ha, real mature." Yukari said sullenly.

"Shit..." Junpei cursed as we hid behind the rocks.

"Is it them?" Kenji muttered.

"Yeah! No mistaking Pinky's pink-ass hair!" Quan hissed, "Or Yukari's fabulously brown hair! Rio's mane-like pony tail... nor Fuuka-chan's cute cyan hair... least of all, Minako's soft, red hair that would look so good on my children and-"

I glared at him.

"Uh, never mind." He said quickly.

"It's okay. It's fine. Everything's gonna be alright." Junpei repeated to himself over and over again.

"Well, Mitsuru-senpai's hair looks very glamorous!" Quan said, "The straightness, then the child-like twirl!"

"WHAT?!" Junpei and I jumped, "Sh-She's here?!"

"Oh yeah. Right beside Pink." Quan said casually.

"Junpei, you dolt, why didn't you check the time?!" I roared angrily.

"I did! It's our time in the baths, I swear!" He said quickly.

"Oh, fine! Those girls have been doing this since the dawn of time!" I said bitterly.

"We need a plan." Kenji said hastily as he rubbed his bite wound.

"That WAS Plan A! Trying to prevent THIS!" I said.

"We need a Plan B then!" Kenji cried.

"Forget Plan B, we need a Plan C, D, E, F, G and all the 20 other letters of the alphabet!" Junpei hissed.

"Guys, relax, why don't we just go out and tell the girls that they got the times mixed up." Quan said simply.

"It's not that simple, Quan!" Junpei said, "On top of the girls beating the crap outta us, we got Mitsuru-san to deal with!"

"And she deals hard." I said.

"Guys, we can just say this is one big misunderstanding." Quan insisted.

"You fool! They won't listen to reason!" Junpei said.

"I've got a plan... We all run, and hope they don't catch us." Lee said, "It just might work."

"Are you joking!?" Junpei cried.

"Nope." Lee said.

"This just went from Mission Impossible to Mission Improbable to Mission In-freaking-sanity!" Kenji hissed.

"You're a madman! You're crazy!" I cried to Lee.

"Good. 'Cause if I wasn't, this probably wouldn't work." Lee shrugged.

"Well... We don't have much of a choice." I admitted, "Let's do it!"

We readied ourselves.

"Geronimo!" Lee cried.

"Crazy Horse!" I cried.

"Wounded Knee!" Junpei cried.

"Sitting Bull!" Kenji cried.

"Aüre Entúlúvâ!" Quan cried.

We charged out screaming.

"What th-" Minako said, "Boys! There are boys here!"

"Ahhhhh!" Pinky, Mitsuru, Fuuka and Yukari yelled.

"Get them!" Rio shouted as they grabbed a pile of wooden buckets and threw it at us.

I got hit in the chest, but managed to stay up.

"It's our time, not yours!" Quan shouted, "It's a big misunderstandi-" Quan got knocked out with three direct hits to the head from Pinky, Minako and Mitsuru. "Argh!" he slumped down. Nobody bothered to pick him up.

"Girls, your time is over!" Lee shouted.

"So is yours!" Yukari snarled.

Lee took several hits and managed to take cover behind a rock.

"Ya gotta hit harder to take me down!" Lee yelled.

Fuuka hurled a bucket and downed Lee.

"Ow! Fuuka! You hit hard!" Lee said with a bloody smile.

"Rio, baby! We can negotiate this peacefully right?" Kenji got floored by Rio, and floated on the water with a major nosebleed.

"You crazy girls! Check the damn time!" Junpei shouted while running.

"Yeah, it's time for your asses to get stomped!" Minako growled as she launched several buckets and knocking Junpei down. I picked him up and ran away.

Then, a big bucket smote my head and I fell down.

Junpei was saying something, his lips moved but I couldn't hear anything.

"-we gotta move!"

The girls were whipped into a frenzy. I saw an opening and went to one of the rocks. It was designed as a maze, after all.

"Crap! A dead end!" I hissed as I set Junpei down.

"Let's climb over it!" He hissed.

I boosted him up.

"_Adios_, partner!" He said, moving away.

"What?!" I said angrily.

"Just kidding. Give me your hand." He said as he lifted me up.

We were about to slip away, until Kenji ran towards us.

"Help me!" He pleaded.

I reached out to grab his hand, but Junpei grabbed my hand after hearing the angry tirade of abuse and curses from the girls approaching.

"Sorry. Every man for himself." Junpei said.

"H-Hey! You can't just leave me here!" Kenji shouted.

"Alright, fine, hurry!" I said as I grabbed him and he clambered on the slippery rock, not daring to let go and he finally stood on the platform.

"Sorry boys! We warned you not to come!" I shouted as we went out and barred the door, to prevent the, from chasing us.

We heard a faint shout; "Execute them, Senpai!"

Then, a familiar sound of an Evoker, "_ARTEMISIA_!"

We grabbed our clothes and ran naked going up.

When we reached the safety of the door, we stopped for a breather.

"That... was close... too close! We are not doing that again." I panted.

"Whose idea was this anyway?" Junpei said breathlessly.

"Ours, admittedly." Kenji said while gasping for air, "Did you guys see-"

"No." I said.

"No." Junpei almost sobbed.

"What a fail. Let's hit the showers." Kenji said.

Naoto was so shocked at our dramatic entry, she dropped the cup of tea she was drinking and gasped audibly.

"By Jove, what is the meaning of this?!" Naoto growled.

"We had a narrow escape. Sue us." Junpei said wearily as he went to his room to get dressed.

"Why on earth are you guys naked?!" Naoto said exasperatedly.

"We said we had a narrow escape." I explained our flight from the girls.

"I see... but please cover up!" Naoto said, "Shame on you three!"

"C'mon, we're all men here, right?" Kenji said as he slapped Naoto's butt. Naoto flushed bright red.

I went to get dressed and went out to to find that Lee and Quan had arrived, shivering and not speaking about what had happened.

"It was awful..." Quan said as his teeth chattered.

"Damn them... I never knew the Directress to be into some voodoo shit." Lee said as he sneezed.

"Ouch... They really hurt me." Quan said.

"We warned you not to go, but you never listen." I said smugly.

"Oh, shut up." Lee sneezed. "You weren't turned into a popsicle!"

"It's true! A giant thing appeared behind Mitsuru-san and froze us! It's true!" Quan supplied.

Junpei and I looked at one another uneasily.

"Froze you? Haha, I think you two got hit in the head a little too hard." Kenji scoffed.

"It's true!" The duo shouted.

"Trust me, you were imagining it." Kenji assured.

"Yeah, I guess you're right... But why are we shivering? I mean, we just came out of a damn hot spring!" Lee said.

"Beats me." Kenji said, "Maybe your brains are a little fuddled up."

Lee went in to get a shower.

I grabbed a toothbrush and brushed vigorously.

"Phew... That was a narrow escape... For my part, mostly." Naoto said.

"No! That was vile! You owe me BIG!" I spat out and put more toothpaste on my mouth.

"I never want to see a naked man again." Naoto admitted.

"Sorry! Forgot my soap!" Lee said as he went out stark naked.

"Lee, what are you doing?" I said.

"Sorry, I don't wear pants at the dorm, I ain't wearing one here." Lee said as he entered the bathroom.

"Was that... a man's butt?" Naoto said.

"Don't look at me, I'm not biting that apple." I said as I spat froth from my mouth and gargled.

The guys recovered and we all converged into the lounge room.

Suddenly, the doors opened and Lee overturned the couch as a makeshift shield as the boys and I ingloriously cowered behind it.

"Hey, hey, we come in peace!" Minako said.

"Like hell you are!" Kenji shouted.

Naoto was just drinking tea behind us.

"We just wanna say... Sorry." Yukari said as the girls bowed.

"It's not our faults-" I shouted, "Wait, what?"

"We found out we got the times mixed up-" Rio said.

"Ya think?!" Junpei shouted.

"Also, we didn't know the outdoor bath was for both men and women..." Pinky said.

"Not into reading signs, eh?" Quan said sardonically.

"We thought they were for one gender at a time." Rio said.

"Well, wrong thinking kills many people." Lee spat.

"Anyway, accept this as a sign of our apology." Minako said and a group of waiters entered with sumptuous dishes.

"Whoa! What is all this?" I said in wonder.

"Our apologies!" The girls said in unison.

"Well, damn right!" Lee said in approval, "You owe us after that ordeal!"

"But how am I suppose to eat?! I lost three fingernails trying to escape your screw ups!" Kenji cried, showing his mutilated fingers.

"And my lip got torn by a rogue bucket." I said.

"And I chipped a tooth!" Quan said.

"Not to mention I almost fractured my skull!" Junpei said.

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Yukari said.

The guys and I smiled, "Spoonfeed us."

The girls were bewildered, "No way. Nuh uh!"

We smiled, "Owwww! My head! I think I'm gonna die!" I cried.

They boys followed suit and we made it overly melodramatic.

"Alright, alright!" Minako shouted, "We'll do it."

Rio spoonfed Kenji as she lectured him about dietetics and choosing nutritious food while she was at it. Kenji just nodded as Rio serviced him.

Junpei was spoonfed by Chidori, who Mitsuru summoned here after Fuuka called her. Chidori was awfully sweet, blowing on the hazelnut soup before letting Junpei sip it appreciatively.

Lee got more than he bargained for after Fuuka stabbed him on the nose while trying to feed him some chicken leg with a fork, but he seemed happy.

Quan seemed bored, as if Pinky spoonfed him all the time while Pinky chatted with him about which pink dyes she should use for her hair.

"But babe, your hair is already naturally pink!"

Minako and Yukari, seeing as they were, more or less, my two main squeezes, they both spoonfed me and dabbed my lips after they became soiled. Minako kept looking at me while she did, though it must've been because of the kiss.

Yukari, of course, was doing her absolute best, and it did get my attention... Sometimes, I think about what's wrong with me, having two girls vying for my love... I know I needed to make a choice...

_But is there much of a choice when I got two of the most perfect girls in the world to choose from?!_

* * *

_**A/N: what a wave of emotions!**_

_**Anyway, anyone here ever ate a roasted bat? I tastes better than it sounds, actually...**_

_**And the poll needs a few more votes before it can be complete! Please vote now!**_

_**Now to answer...**_

_blablabla6h _

_I also got reference when...Minako says she will take example of Minato cleanness(or whatever) and then the other girls butts in and then the situation gets awkward...yeah...I know where you got that from..._

_**Good for you!**_

_ Kaijeno Arisato _

_Junpei AGAIN IS THE BIGGEST COCK BLOCK _

_Hot Springs huh I have an idea? Do the same hot springs except this time Minato escapes and everyone else gets destroyed_

_**Nah, I don't think Minato should be that cruel to his friends...**_

_ 2sassy4u _

_It's about time I came crawling out from the darkest corner of the lurker's cavern haha. Been reading since DoS, then DoA to only review a few time as guests. I guess from now I would be reviewing more often haha. Anyway, YES. Days of winter! Wanted a MinaxMitsu since DoS, excluding the interference of Yukari lol. I just hope you would start it soon, making me psyche up right now. Anywho, DoA seem to be progressing quite steadily, from a little stem of buddying friendship, then Minato finally having the guts to actually confess his feelings. At times, the sense of humour you put is somewhat hilarious, and the angst and cliffhangers are what keeps me wanting the next update. Also, I like your style of writing although you could try and refrain using the word 'said' a couple of times in a row. Anywho, i'll be on the lookout for another update and I'll try to review whenever possible :)_

_**Huzzah! Welcome to the light!**_

_**It's reviewers like you that make writing so worthwhile!**_

_**Yep. I assure you that DoW will be coming soon. In fact, I'm editing it as we speak, well not literally, you know.**_

_**Thanks! I really hope you'll take the time to review! I love reviews as much as I love writing.**_

_**Hope to see you often!**_

_ blablabla6h _

_Now I know...what is Yobai...speechless...Awesome chapter as always...but one thing...don't interrupt the confession of love between Minako and Minato...'cause this is the fourth time you did it...because It's annoying...and killing the suspense...or you have something planned, really interesting? _

_P.S: Like I said, I don't care...I just said...it's doesn't look good...but, keep it, man...I don't care..._

_**Now you know!**_

_**It's neither annoying nor kills the suspense. It's part of the story, blah. If you would actually wait to see what happens, the world would be a better place.**_

_**Actually, you shouldn't care and it looks good. If you didn't care, why mention it at all? You confuse me sometimes, dude... Really.**_

_ Radaketor _

_WE ALL LOVE QUAN, GROUP HUG!_

_*hugs Quan*_

_So they finnaly kissed, and when it all seemed like it was going to end good... STUPEI FREAKING COCK BLOCKS MINATO! And if that's not enough, Minako ran away?_

_Bravo, you keep getting better after each chapter, i read on your Bio that you wanted to be the best Persona writer in Fanfiction, well, i think you already are, i've read a lot of other people's strories, and most of them don't reach your level, congrats and good luck with the next chapter._

_**Who doesn't love Quan? He looks like Rise, except without the hair and the female parts. If he were Yaoi, he'd be the uke.**_

_**I know... When he did it at Yakushima. It irked me to no end.**_

_**Haha, you're far too kind and you give me too much credit... But I think I'm a good writer, at most. Maybe when time comes and I'm lucky, that would come true.**_

_**Again, many thanks!**_

_BloodyCain (Guest)_

_Of course you would consider it "stealing" unless we put up a review. What a good excuse_

_**Well, it wouldn't kill you to actually review, would it? Besides, it's good practice to speak your mind for a change.**_

_**Also, thanks for reviewing**__!_

_ ReachingOutFES _

_Finally their lips have met and what this read about the hot springs? Yeah I know you mentioned it earlier but I suggest trying something original for the hot springs bit. How about Minako ends up during the time it's suppose to be guys only and Minato hides her? Or you could for the classic "guys end up in the hot during the girls' time and get kicked out'". Totally up to you..._

_I think you did your Brooklyn rage well enough... Next time I hope!_

_**Yup. All original.**_

_**Well, nice ideas, but I already planned it... Well enough, I guess.**_

_**Minato and the boys make all the preparations, being extra careful, yet the girls still managed to go in and evict them, later repenting with the dinner bout.**_

_**Thanks! I never watched much Yugioh so I wasn't sure.**_

_ ThePersonaficationOfNight _

_That was totally sweet, seriously epic chapter with the sweet stuff in the end, glad Yukari didn't show up to ruin the mood, Minato comforting Minako was really touchy and yippie they finally kissed until Junpei had to ruin it all, but am happy nonetheless that they finally let each other know even tho a bit._

_Minako owning Lee was awesome, she acted sophisticated for a moment and then BAM ownage mode on._

_Can't wait to see where it goes, can't wait to see what Yukari does now I'm guessing she goes bitch mode again against Minako, would really love to see Minato finally telling her to just go away and Finally tells her that he loves Minako, I recently read your days of summer story man Yukari acted like a complete douche towards Minato, even tho in the end they got together._

_Plz update soon waiting for more._

_**Thanks! Junpei doing that is just too annoying...**_

_**Yeah, tomboyish girls rock!**_

_**Yes, it would come to that soon, but not too soon. Not after some heavy drama.**_

_**Haha, yeah, thanks. I enjoyed making DoS...**_

_ Hoshi no Ookamiden 217 _

_*cheers*_

_I'll admit that I've been reading this story for a while, and I always wait eagerly for the next chapter._

_But it's just that I've had nothing to say since you write pretty well. Even if everything is one line long. Meh, who cares? It's clear you've already got a good grasp on your writing style, so I'm not going to say anything more about that._

_Anyways, keep it up!_

_**Thank you! I'll also admit I've seen you around in a few stories I skimmed and you review pretty well and I hope you'll do so for my story too. Why, with your help I could further improve the story!**_

_**See you soon.**_

_ KazuyaYamura _

_Junpei... Junpei... Junpei... Always there do destroy a romantic moment... But Minato finally did it and I think this will end well! The romance scene was great and I could feel Minato's anxiety throughout that last bit. And is it just me or are they going to the hot springs... I can only I imagine what will happen there... *laughs evilly*... Ahem, so I hope the last chapter is coming soon, cause I'll be waiting!_

_**Ugh, you don't know the half of it... Good thing Minato did it before Junpei entered, otherwise the kiss might not have happened.**_

_**Yes! Hot springs! And procrastination.**_

_**I highly encourage you all to review or ask questions!**_


	39. Beach Boys

**_A/N: Hey guys! I might not be around for a while, since college starts at the 10th but I will try my hardest to update as soon as I can._**

**_Please enjoy this tribute to one of my most favorite scenes._**

**_Also, I am extremely gladdened that I reached the 500+ reviews! A good milestone, if there may be one. So I prepared a good long chapter for you all. Please do enjoy. And leave a review please!_**

* * *

(11/17/10)

Saturday...

Early in the morning, Junpei woke me up and told me to meet the guys in my room after our morning rituals. I promptly threw a slipper at him after grunting a 'yes'.

Then, after losing my sleepiness, I got ready, went to the bathroom to bathe and changed.

As I was changing, the boys entered the room while I was half-naked.

"What the hell?!" I cried indignantly as I covered up.

"Sorry, we need to time this properly. I made a brilliant idea!" Junpei announced.

"It already sounds stupid..." Kenji muttered.

"Somehow, being woken up at 6AM, it can't sound any dumber than at 8AM, so shoot." Lee said.

"Anyway, snarky comments aside, I plan to go to the beach and execute it!" Junpei cried.

Everyone immediately sounded excited, but I shook my head, "Didn't you remember last year's tragedy?" I said.

"Yeah, we met a robot. Whatshername...?" Junpei said, "Nah, she isn't important, what is important is that we go off and see babes at Long Island!"

"This sounds bad..." I muttered, "Pass."

Everyone groaned angrily.

"Go with the flow!"

"Pussy!"

"Wimp!"

"Killjoy!"

"Alright! Fine!" I shouted loudly, "I'll go! But nothing good will ever come out of it!"

They whooped and stayed in their beds.

Later, Ms. Toriumi and Professor Peter, along with the girls, visited me.

"Are you well?" Professor asked.

"No..." I said weakly, "Junpei sneezed in my face."

"Gross!" The girls shrieked.

"Hush girls." Professor Peter chided, "The boys are resting. It seems as though the boys are overcome with a bout of flu!"

"Yeah, looks like you guys have to go without us..." I said as I faked a sneeze.

"No, we'll stay to take care of you guys!" They said.

"No!" I shouted, "I mean, we want you to go. Otherwise, we'd get sick even more knowing you guys are here because of us."

"It's no problem-"

"Just go, please? For us?" I said, "Take loads of pictures."

"Don't worry, Minato, I'll picture that statue until it pisses itself with joy!" Minako said.

"Go and have fun." I said, "You'll be back in six hours, right? Enjoy."

They nodded and told us to take care as they left.

The boys and I crept out of our rooms and waited until they left the buses, before they danced.

"Alright Einstein, tell me your plan." I said to Junpei.

"Get this... Operation: Babe Hunt 2.0!" He said with a flourish.

I stared at him as the guys clapped jubilantly. "I'm out of here."

"You're committed! No turning back!" Lee spat.

"I was joking... Jeez, you guys are so sensitive!" I said.

We all changed to beach wear. I wore a beach button up shirt, trendy broadshorts and slip up Sanuk.

Junpei wore a simple shirt, shorts and sandals. He changed his usual hat into a Fedora. Quan wore a tank top with broad shorts and flip-flops and Kenji wore almost the same, except he wore jean shorts instead. Lee wore an orange wifebeater shirt and horizontally checkered black and gold shorts.

"Let's go." I said as they nodded.

We hailed a taxi and Lee told him to go to Long Island. He stopped by the beach as we took a deep breath by the nose. It smelt salty, fresh and breezy.

"Ah, America! Where the sun never sets and the citizens never floss!" Lee sighed as he looked at several girls, then a Sentra blocked the way.

Lee craned his neck, cursing silently as the man in the car thought he was admiring the sound system.

"Like my stereo?" The guy said, "q. Cost me a $10,000 bucks!"

"Wow, a $10,000 sound system in an $800 car!" Lee said in a mock-impressed voice, "You're loud, you're proud and you're in a 91' Sentra! We're so damn impressed!" Lee said sardonically.

The man shook his head and drove away.

"Man Lee, you got a way of scaring people off!" Quan said.

"Scaring him off?" Lee looked confused, "I was just saying what was on my mind."

We laughed as we took in the sight. People playing volleyball, girls sunbathing, kids swimming and teenagers watching Jersey Shore.

"Jersey Shore never fails to remind me that we're all just idiots watching those idiots act like idiots on reality TV." Kenji said.

We walked around the beach, and Junpei and Quan insisted on having a race, which we goaded them into. They raced around a bouy, until Junpei began choking on something, so we all came to his rescue.

"Junpei!" Lee cried as he punched Junpei's chest and he spat out something latex.

"What the hell is it?!" Kenji said in disgust.

Lee picked it up with a stick, "It's... a condom!" He said as he flicked it away. We laughed at Junpei as he vomited his breakfast out.

"Okay, looks like swimming is out of the question!" Kenji said while tearing up.

"Shut- ugh- up!" Junpei said as he retched, "Fucking assholes littering on the goddamned ocean!"

We helped him get over it as we went to other places.

"So, are we gonna start the Operation now?" I asked.

"Excited, eh?" Junpei smiled, "I knew you had my tastes!"

"Ahhh, after seeing you swallow a condom, I don't think we have the same tastes at all..." I said.

"Gimme a break-ugh!" Junpei nearly retched, "Anyway, let's commence! We only have a few hours to work!"

We scouted the beach.

"Seen anyone good?" Quan asked.

"I dunno... All these Americans look absolutely the same." Kenji said.

"There!" We spotted a cute group of girls.

"Who approaches first?" I asked.

"Me!" Lee and Junpei said at the same time. They immediately began to argue.

"Roshambo it, we're on the clock!" I snapped.

"Ro...sham...bo!" Junpei's scissors beat Lee's paper.

"Fine, go ahead Casanova, let's see you fail." Lee said.

We approached with Junpei. He just stood there until the girls eyed him and he turned around and asked me what to say.

"Just ask questions!" I said.

He nodded and turned back to the girls.

"Um... Can we help you?" She asked.

"I dunno... Can you?" Junpei said.

She and her friends smiled, "Are you looking for something?"

"Is there something we should be looking for?" I asked.

They looked at each other, very amused, "Where are you from?"

"Where are you from?" Junpei asked.

"Hahaha! We're from Jersey!"

"We're from Japan." Kenji said.

"You met the Emperor?" One of them asked.

"Why meet the Emperor, when we have five beautiful Empresses in front of us?" Quan said smoothly.

They giggled, "What are your names?

"What are yours?" Lee asked, keeping his excitement in check.

"Dani, Trixie, Tamara, Angel and Jenna." They blushed, "Don't tell on us, okay? We're not supposed to talk to strangers."

"Okay..." I said, "But only if you girls want to be told on..."

"Oh my God, you boys are so cute!" Trixie said as she approached, "Especially you, blue-haired angel! But we have a shift soon... Come by the Desperado cafe and we'll brew you some... hot coffee..."

After they winked and left, we jumped in joy.

"Success!" We shouted, "Time to go on the prowl!"

We looked around and saw a lone brunette.

"My turn." Lee said before we could object.

We came at a respectable distance.

"Hey, how're you doing?" Lee asked smoothly.

"I'm fine." The lady said, seeming slightly interested.

"Are you fine?" Lee asked.

"Uh... Yeah..."

"Are you fine then?" Lee asked.

"What the fuck is the matter with you? Are you retarded or something? The hell is the matter with you?!" She said, obviously annoyed.

"Do you want me to be fucking retarded?" Lee asked innocently as the girl rolled her eyes and moved away.

Lee came back with his tail tucked behind his legs.

"Sigh..." Lee said as we went to find new hunt.

"Mama Mia!" Quan cried as he spotted a fine looking lady.

"Let me have this one, lads." Lee said.

"You had that last one, you selfish pig bastard!" Kenji cried.

"Look, guys like me always need girls more than you." Lee said.

"Meaning you're a man-whore!" Kenji countered.

"Hey, where I come from, my list of wenches is an obvious sign of opulence." Lee announced proudly.

"Flatulence?" Quan said confusedly.

"OPULENCE!" Kenji shouted.

"What does that mean?" Junpei asked, "Opulence... sounds similar to passing gas."

"Fool, that means he's got loot." I said.

Before we could intercept Lee, he started after the girl.

"Hello madame!" Lee said, "Would you fancy-"

"That guy has AIDS." Junpei said sullenly.

The woman ran away quickly.

"Coño! Fuck you!" Lee spat.

We let him curse at us as we scouted for more.

Junpei pointed, "I'll have that one." He said as he pointed to a young looking girl and her friends.

"Hey." Junpei said amiably.

"Hello." The girl squeaked.

"Uh... I'm Junpei."

"I'm Kiara. I'm 19."

"Y-you look good." Junpei said.

"Thank you." Kiara said.

"Wanna go out for ice cream?" He asked nervously.

"Why not?" She said, "Can my friends come?"

"Hell yeah!" Kenji shouted as the girls giggled.

"Just so you know," Lee said loudly, "That guy swallowed a loaded condom. So he's already had his share of cream... Just the one with no ice." He said with a wink.

The girl's faces fell, "Uh, we gotta go and... Uh, clean the beaches."

Kiara looked longingly at Junpei, "But I want ice cream..." She said as she was dragged away from us.

Junpei felled Lee with a low kick, "Cock blocker!"

"We're even!" Lee spat.

Junpei felt resentful to Lee after that.

It was Quan's turn after that. He found a red headed girl hurrying somewhere.

"Hey, hey, wait up!" He cried, "I'm red headed, you're red headed... We gotta at least know each other! I'm Quan!"

"Oh, hello!" The girl said with an air of aloofness, "I'm Ariana. I'm sorry, but I need to head back to my friend's trailer..."

"Wait, wait..." Quan insisted, "I say forget them. Let's have fun!"

Her eyes widened, "Okay!"

She was a bit of an airhead, but we did have some fun before she left. We played watergun and making pottery before she left.

After that, we went to a cafe, specifically, we went to the 'Desperado' cafe, where the Owner was a hulk, like Odin, and the five waitresses from earlier were beautiful goddesses, Valkyries.

We ordered some food and I tipped the waitresses generously. Junpei sighed with content after drinking his iced tea.

"I love America!" Junpei sighed, "Everything here is free! Free drinks, Freedom of speech and I am loving these delightful free muffins!" He said as he bit in one from a box he took from the counter.

Kenji looked at the box, "Dude, these are $6 a box."

Junpei discreetly spat it out and returned the box as Kenji rolled his eyes.

Lee seemed downcast though, "Okay, almost a week in this country and we didn't even get to score..." Lee bemoaned.

"What about Fuuka?" I asked him.

"Hey, I draw a very thin line between lust and love and I don't put a toe out of line with her until she's ready. The wenches I'm after are dispensable." Lee said sternly.

"Come on, we're missing all the action!" Kenji cried.

"Okay, watch this..." Quan said, before looking at an American in a bikini, "Hey Missy! Want to eat ice cream with me and my friends?"

The American curled her lips, "Get lost, dickweed."

Quan snorted, "Come on, asobi ni iki mashou, girlie!"

"Ice cream?!" Kenji shouted incredulously, "ICE CREAM?!"

"Girls like ice cream." Quan said simply.

"Yeah, little girls." I said, "So, unless you're into lolicon, that won't work."

"Haha, that how you pick up girls?" Junpei laughs.

"Come on, man, you can't do it that way, look..." Lee said as he made a fast, noisy, licking motion with his tongue.

"What the fuck is that?" I said in disbelief.

"That's what you do." Lee said.

"That is disgusting is what it is." Kenji said.

"Watch it." He said as he did it again.

I mock-punched him, which he dodged, "Oy, look at that fucking thing, man... you look like a lizard... like you got a bug coming out of your mouth."

"See, I knew you wouldn't understand." Lee said, "Chicks here dig that. Hey, look."

He points to a hot chick wearing a bikini.

"Ay caramba!" Kenji drools.

"Whoa!" Junpei gasped.

"Man, she's looking at us!" Quan said as she turned around.

"So, waddya say Don Juan? You think you can do it with her?" I asked.

Lee smirked, "I think so..."

"Wanna try it?" Kenji asked.

"Why the hell not?" He said as he stood up, "You fools gonna watch?"

"Yep. You're probably not gonna do it." I said as we stood up and shadowed him.

"I'm gonna get her, just watch." Lee said as he swaggered towards the young lady, who was lying down on a sunbathing bench near a swimming pool.

"Go ahead, Lover boy!" Junpei shouted, "Do your thing!"

"Just be quiet and let daddy work." Lee said.

"Lover boy!" The boys and I sat next to a woman and her two kids.

Lee smiled at the girl, "You're looking fine today!"

The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you, I've been watching you from over there." Lee said.

I talked to one of the little kids, "Kid, want to see something funny? Look at that silly man over there."

The mother smiled at me for being friendly.

"We're gonna watch our friend there. He's gonna stick his tongue out to that girl. Look..."

Lee did the tongue thing to the girl, who looks at him with revulsion. She promptly slaps him hard on the face.

"Ittai, kusutarre!" Lee yelled.

The mother, the kids, the boys and I laughed, "See what happened to him?" Junpei giggled as we approached Lee.

"Hey, you know if I wasn't such a nice guy, I'd pimp-slap you back!" Lee spat at the girl as Kenji put his arms around him.

"Chill out, bozu!" Kenji said as he laughed at Lee's welt.

"Pervert!" The girl shouted.

"Bitch... lesbian... dyke!" Lee spat at the girl angrily.

"Dude, if you want women, you need money, look..." I said, pulling out a wad of cash, "Girls!" I waved the money, "Over here!"

The group of bikini-clad girls instantly came over.

We chatted with them, until Lee decided to get fresh with one of them, making the entire group leave, much to everyone's ire.

Using a ruse, we decided to get Lee to buy something while we plotted revenge.

After recalling a manga I read, I decided to speak out.

"I have an idea." I said.

I told them of my plans.

"That's nuts..." Junpei said in disbelief.

"But who'll do it?" Kenji asked.

I gulped, "It's my idea, so it's only fair if I do it."

Quan smashed his fists on the table, "No!" He said so loudly, we flinched, "You love Minako! And I don't want you to risk it! I'll do it." He said.

"Quan..." Kenji said.

"Don't worry. I can take one for the team... As much as I hate girls whose hair color has nothing red in it..." He said, "Wish me luck."

"Give this to them." I said as I gave him $1000, so,e for him, and the others for the girls.

Lee came back, "Where's Quan?"

"Out. He wanted to pick up some girls without us messing up." Kenji said.

"That so?" Lee mused, "Well, he needs it."

Then, Trixie came forward, "Hey, Lee, my friend Wendy wants to meet you."

A shapely looking blonde strode forth. She was absolutely stunning.

"Hello!"

She said with so much charm, we were all mesmerized.

"Hey, lady!" Junpei said.

"I want you!" She points to Lee.

"You heard her! Ladies choice!" Lee said as he put his arms around Wendy.

"I want some private time with you!" Wendy said, tracing a finger on Lee's mouth.

"Oh, you don't waste time, do ya?" He said, "Alright, but I'm a bit too short on cash-"

"Here buddy, take it. Something from me to you." I said, giving him a $100.

"Thanks! I owe you one!" Lee said as he grabbed Wendy, "Let's party. I'mma rock out with my cock out, and you'll jam out with your clam out. This will magical!" He took her to an abandoned lighthouse Trixie pointed out.

After a few minutes, we decided to check on him. We stacked up several crates to peek.

Lee slumps over in pleasure, "Man, that was terrific Wendy... So good..."

"Yeah... say, Lee, you into Yaoi?" Wendy asked.

"Haha, hell no!" Lee said.

"You should be." Wendy said.

"Why?" Lee laughed.

"Cause you're in one right now!"

"Waddya mean?" Lee asked.

"My real name is... Wendy Wu..." 'She' said with a grin.

"No...!" Lee said as his face filled with horror.

'Wendy' says as 'she' takes off 'her' wig, revealing the smug, smiling and revengeful face of Quan.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lee shrieks in absolute shock as he covers himself with a blanket.

"Hahaha! Got you again, shitbrick!" Quan laughed.

"You said you were that waitress at the Desperado!" Lee shouted.

"I lied!" Quan said as he laughed so hard, he cried.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Lee roared.

"I didn't feel a thing, but YOU did!" Quan laughed.

"You jerk!" Lee roared, "Then that means-"

Lee ran out and vomited several times.

"Hey Lee, how'd it go with... Wendy?" I asked.

"Uh, n-nothing! Hehehe!" Lee said as he laughed.

Quan came out, "Sup Lee?"

"Oh, Quan, what were you doing in there?" Junpei asked.

"Lee and I were-" he stopped abruptly as Lee looked vengeful at him as he raised his shirt, revealing a 1911 Colt 45. "Doing a threesome! Yeah!"

"That so?" Kenji said nervously, "Then let's call this a Mission Success and go home." we agreed as Lee vomited for a while and went with us.

I stopped by the Desperado to say goodbye to Trixie and the girls.

"Oh, bye!" Trixie said as she and the girls kissed me and the boys in the cheek, throwing Lee a sly smile, for she knew what he did.

"Incidentally, why are you guys working here?" I asked.

"We're saving enough money for college." Trixie said.

"Really?" I said, collecting the remaining money I had, about $10,000 bucks, since I initially took a few thousands with me from Japan, "Here. From me to you girls."

"Oh no, we can't accept this!" Trixie said, handing it back to me, blushing.

"No, don't be modest. You guys have been nice to us. Go on. For your college education." I coaxed her.

She and the girls hugged me and kissed me, "How can we ever repay you?"

"Well-" Lee began.

"No time, Lee!" Kenji said.

"We could call Wendy-" Quan suggested.

Lee whipped out his gun and pointed it to Quan, "Say that again!"

"Whoa, whoa, just kidding!" Quan said.

Lee decided to give the gun to the owner as he couldn't pass APS with one.

"If we're ever in Japan, we'll look you up!" Trixie said as I gave her my number.

"Safe trip!" The girls cried as we walked away.

We were a bit annoyed at the slow moving family in front of us as we walked the boardwalk.

"Gee, thanks alot slow walking family in front of us!" Quan muttered, "Oh no, DO spread out, so you can create the Great Wall of Idiot! Geez, we are too thankful that we risk the danger of being smeared to the road in order to pass you just to walk like a normal human being!"

We arrived in the nick of time. The buses were passing on as we overtook it and hurried to our floor and changed back.

"We're back!" The girls cried, "Hey boys!"

"Hey... We're feeling better now that we saw you guys!" I said.

"Aw how sweet- wait, why do you have tans?" Yukari asked.

"Uh..."

"And why do you smell salty?" Minako asked.

"Must be your imaginations!" Junpei said loudly.

"Whatever you say." Yukari said, "We're leaving now."

We all took our stuff and looked at the penthouse longingly as we went down, then I remembered our laundromat stuff, so we sent our stuff ahead and went to the laundromat.

"How much for the lot?" I asked, grabbing my wallet.

"About $55." The man said.

"$55 dollars! That's highway robbery!" Lee cried.

"$11 dollars for each of your shirts." The man said simply.

"Okay, fine." I said, throwing the money to him, "Clearly, it doesn't cost that much, but I'll pay it anyway, since I'm not really sure what you do and how much it should cost... In fact, I'm 110% sure all you did was iron it and put a plastic sheet around it, eh?" I said.

He shrugged as I sighed and slapped the money on his desk.

We went down and took the buses to the airport, where everything was easy until we passed the boarding gate.

"Sir, I'll need you to step outside for a minute." The airport guard said to Lee.

"Whoa, whoa, did I beep or something?" Lee said in a panicked voice, "Probably just a 45. bullet lodged in my testicle or something-"

"No, not really, you didn't beep. Just a random security check, if you would step out for a moment..."

"'Random' huh?" Lee said dubiously, as he stepped out.

"Yeah." The guard said.

"So, this ain't got nothing to do with my 'ethnicity' or whatever the hell you call it?" Lee said loudly.

"Come on, Lee, just do what the man says!" I said.

"Yeah, that or he'll get busted. If he does, I never met him before..." Junpei whispered.

"Sir, it is my sworn duty to check for illegal drugs or guns." The guard said.

"Ah, so just because I'm Asian and that I look like some Yakuza punk, you think I'm packing heat or running drugs, is that it?" He said loudly, "What are you, some sort of racist?" Lee said sharply.

"Racist?" he said in disbelief, "Dude, I'm a Black-American." The guard said.

Lee laughed, "Haha, please, I'm blacker than you are!"

"He doesn't mean that! He doesn't mean that!" the boys and I pleaded to the guard, but Lee dismissed us with a wave of his hand.

"You look like some pasty teenager who got a cheap spray tan! Compared to me, you look like Edward Cullen in New Moon!" Lee said.

"Hey, who you calling Edward Cullen, asshole?!" The guard said, going to Lee's face.

"Me, you Edward Cullen-looking piece of shit!" Lee bellowed.

I went between them, "No one here looks like Edward Cullen! No one!"

"Unless Robert Pattinson passes by." Kenji said.

"Not helping!" I hissed.

"What's going on here?" The chief said as he strode towards us.

"Sir, Eddy Cullen here thinks I have illegal drugs and weapons here just because I'm Japanese!" Lee said, "And that is 100% puro racial profiling, which I would be more than happy to report to the MRGI..." Lee trailed off.

"No, no, no, no, no, that will be fine, yes," the chief said, "My deepest apologies!"

"S'all right." Lee sniffed, "Keep your boy on a leash though... He got an attitude!"

We walked away as the chief berated the guard.

"Must you always cause a scene?" I asked.

"We're in America... so long as I got the freedom of speech, no one here is gonna shut me up." Lee said, "Besides, I got a pot pipe and nearly 7 keys of marijuana..." He whispered.

We laughed as we took the plane, first class, and left the beautiful New York below us 30,000 feet below.

* * *

_**A/N: well! Finally done! I had to down a few redbulls and burn through a few prompts, but worth it!**_

_**Please leave a review afterwards!**_

_ Huh, I want to say you keeping up the balance, butt then again...you don't,_

_because if Minato loves Minako the he does...It's utterly pointless...butt if_

_you make a sudden change...it's better be something good...like I don't_

_know...Yukari's having "ring-a-ding-ding" with Minato and then Minako comes in shock...and then excuses...and then all over again..._

_Very nice job on the hot springs...but I would go like this...spook the_

_girls...so that they decided to look...but then the boys keep creep them out_

_and the girls leave...and happy ending for the boys..._

_And, Nice job, Junpei, on interrupting...Minato...Mhahahaha take that_

_omnivore..._

_**Sigh... I don't want to sound mean, but the 'butt' you're using needs only one 'T'.**_

_**Why should I make a sudden change? Makes zero sense to balk right now...**_

_**"Ring-a-ding-ding?" What is that? Ice cream?**_

_**Well, whatever it is, it doesn't sound so smart, so I'll disregard it entirely.**_

_**You're making no sense. AT ALL.**_

_**And the bigger question is: Why would they do that? Sounds downright wierd. Extremely wierd. Not to mention downright crazy. Also, I'm not into that pervy stuff. I write about it, but I don't get into it...**_

_**Haha, also not all are in the same opinion as you with Junpei interrupting...**_

_**By the way, you ought to seriously listen to your science class; all humans are omnivores. :3**_

_ MeowMeowReading 6/4/13 . chapter 38_

_Very good chapter my friend. I really liked how you made the guys kinda laid back while Junpei and Minato were careful to make sure the girls don't find them. I really like how it ended up happening anyway though. I was laughing my butt off when the guys were trying to get Minato to let them sign his cock. I didn't get to review last chapter but again with Junpei being a Cockblocker 3000. There should have been an option at Yakushima to tell Junpei to screw off. This story gets better every chapter. You are truly the most talented Persona writer._

_**Why thank you! I know, I hate it when Junpei ruins it...**_

_**Thanks, but I defer being called that until I truly earn that title, whoch I try my best to achieve.**_

_ The Breloom 53 6/4/13 . chapter 1_

_Cipher, your story is absolutely beautiful. I have to say, Chapters 37 and 13 are my favorites, mostly due to them having Minako and Minato having a romantic standoff of some sort, I can't find the right words. And of course, Junpei comes in to screw up the romantic tension between the two M's. Heck, if I were Minato, I would let him watch, lol. I love your style of writing, the single sentence which I've gotten over, the proper grammar, and pretty much everything. I'm pretty curious as to who will win the poll though. I wonder what Cato's motives are for sponsoring the trip. If I were Cato, I would jump off the plane, put in a C4, and blow everything up, but Cato's not a criminal. Lee and Quan being executed must have been horrifying for them, as they were FROZEN IN A HOT SPRING. I woulda expected Minato to abandon Junpei, and I woulda expected Lee to sign Minato's cock anyway. Anyway, your story is the best I've ever read. I'm anxiously waiting every day for the next chapter. Cipher, more power to you, and keep on keeping on :D_

_**Gee, thanks! But that's what everyone said about Nathan Azai, until the chapters progressed... Keep an eye out! And be vocal, if you can!**_

_ Radaketor 6/3/13 . chapter 38_

_Well this chapter was awesome..._

_Lucky Minato, being spoonfed by both Minako and Yukari._

_I don't really get why or how Chidori got there, she was summened by Mitsuru? I thought they lost their powers when the defeated Nyx._

_**Actually, the explaination is within the last few chapter... :3**_

_BloodyAbel 6/3/13 . chapter 38_

_Whatever makes you moan at night :)_

_**Whichever tickles your fancy, brother's keeper ;)**_

_ Hoshi no Ookamiden 217 6/4/13 . chapter 38_

_If you really want me to, I'll do so. XD_

_Firstly, I think my favourite part of this chapter is the cautiousness that the guys took when they were entering the hot springs. The fact that they REALLY didn't want anything like last time to happen really showed. Not to mention that it was hilarious seeing them get chased around by the girls, and I see that someone's been taking pages from Persona 4 to spruce it up a little bit. :)_

_Another thing that's been catching my eye is that you know how these characters are going to react. You keep a pretty decent grasp on how well each of the characters are... um... characterised. XD I have nothing to say about that, since you do that so well._

_But if there's anything that I'm a bit miffed about in this story, it's the lack of sophisticated and descriptive language. Maybe I'm just nit-picking and it's just me, but I know that you seem to gravitate to making the dialogue and drama working, which I can appreciate, but I feel like some of the parts of the story rely too heavily on the reader's experience as a Persona fan. Things like that can be improved. Believe it or not, as much as I am a fan of the Persona series, I've never played even one game of the series. Luckily I've seen the whole game to know what people will be referring to commonly, but for others it could be a little disorienting. But, that's just me._

_Welp, that's it for me for now... long review is long._

_Keep it up! XD_

_**Thank you! Your suggestions have been duly noted, thanks for reviewing!**_

_**I really hope to hear more from you!**_

_ 2sassy4u 6/3/13 . chapter 38_

_And they still haven't noticed that Naoto is actually a girl, lol. An enjoyable read this chapter was, although it was kinda plain in the beginning, the suspense in the end nailed it. Minato's in a dilemma of deciding of whether to choose Minako or Yukari. Honestly, the outcome would be most obvious unless you suddenly decide to add a plot twist :P I will be looking forward to your next update :D p.s I simply can't wait for Days of Winter, Days of Summer with Mitsuru was just too sweet! Keep up the great work!_

_**Yeah, no one knows.**_

_**There will be more twists than a labyrinth in the next few chapters.**_

_**DoW will come very soon!**_

_**There! For any questions, feel free to ask!**_


	40. Carrer Week

_**A/N: chapter forty... The first time I got to chapter forty, I only had 100 reviews at most... Now, with your support, I have over 500+ at least. And I extend my heartfelt thanks.**_

_**On a side note, College is going great! People are nice and I got voted Class President! *cheers***_

_**Thought, I cannot update as much, I think. But who knows? School starts very soon, and I have to get my act straight. Thanks for the support and please review.**_

* * *

_(11/17/10)_

_Same day, noon._

As we boarded the plane, there was an old lady dragging a trolley down the aisle of the first class. She lifted it, and I helped her with it.

"Allow me." I said.

She smiled, "Why thank you, Young Man!" She smiled as she took a seat. My seat was about farther than the others, since it wasn't the same plane we boarded. But I can elect to change if I feel so.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Minato." I said.

"Is that so? Such a lovely name! Call me grandma."

"Okay." I said, "Great to meet you, Grandma-san."

"I see..." Grandma said, "Would I interest you with a story?"

"Okay! I'm game." I said.

She told me about a really romantic story. As she did, I looked at Minako, wondering if we could have a romantic love story of our own.

"You're not listening!" She said indignantly as the plane raised to 5000 feet.

"Uh, no, I was listening... Heihachiro was your first lover and your family didn't like him because he worked in a circus." I said, recapping what she told me.

"That's right. And he agreed with them. So, in a fit of rage, I decided to give myself to someone else. We went on to have four kids. And after I was widowed, Heihachiro and I rekindled our romance. We went on to have five more children." She said with a sigh.

"Quite a story..." I said, "True love can really wait..."

"Correct. And you? You have a girlfriend?" She asked.

I smiled wryly, "Not yet... I'm in love with my best friend..."

"Then why not confess?" She asked.

"She might get mad..." I said.

"Haha! And if she doesn't?"

Then it hit me; what if she didn't?

"Nah, she might yell at me..."

"For not saying it earlier! You know, Heihachi and I wrote to each other once a month... Oh, how I remember waiting for his letters arriving everyday! And when his troupe arrived in town once a year, we would sneak out and talk under the stars."

"Yes, but I'm still saving up." I said.

She nodded in agreement, "Well, you're right about that. Save enough money for your future."

"Ah, no, money's not a problem... I'm saving my confidence." I said, almost laughing at myself.

She laughed heartily, "Hahahaha! You jokester! Your love affair is really interesting! They ought to make a story about it!"

I looked up, "Is someone writing about me right now...?" I thought to myself.

Nah.

"When we arrive in Japan, I want to get in contact with you!" We exchanged numbers. It surprised me how her phone is more advanced than mine.

"And hurry before it's too late." She said, "Anyway, I need to sleep."

I thought a lot about what she said and decided to sleep as well. I allowed Grandma to take my area and moved with Minako. Yukari was there too, much to my chagrin. I sat next to Minako and Yukari.

When I woke up, we already landed as Minako gazed into the runway.

After a buckling ladning, we disembarked and met up with Leah and Akihiko, who picked Minako, Rio, Kenji Junpei and I.

"Hello Akihiko." Mitsuru said amiably, "How are you on this day?"

"Fine, thanks." Akihiko said, "Just picking up Minato and the gang."

"I see," Mitsuru said as she excused herself.

After saying goodbye to Quan and Pink, who were going home in Professor's car, Yukari and Fuuka, who were going home with Yuiri, and Lee, who went via bus, we rode out on the Outrider and brought Kenji and Rio home.

I handed the Xtremer Dinosaur Protein Buffer powder to Akihiko, he gave me a nice grin and a light punch to the shoulder... A light punch for Akihiko would equal to a jarring haymaker to anyone normal.

Leah, as usual, fussed over us again, demanding to know if we did anything illicit or otherwise. Junpei said he was hungry as Leah immediately brought food. And to top it all off, she gave us all three hand-knit sweaters.

"Man, you must've really missed us!" Junpei cried.

"Maybe," Leah admitted, "All I can say is that the house sounded like a graveyard without you. And "Silent KO" Sanada lived up to his name and didn't make a sound. You would've thought he was dead if his body didn't smell so sweaty and didn't bloat up."

"Hey." Akihiko chided.

"Uh, Nee, I brought you something..." Minako said as she fished out the torn and darned Yankees Baseball top.

"Authentic?" Leah asked as she sniffed it.

"As authentic as it could be," Minako said, "I even had it signed. Had to fight off a horde with a bat to get it."

When Leah looked like she was about to laugh, Akihiko nodded, "Saw it on the News... "Bat wielding psycho fends off angry mob", yeah, sounded catchy."

Minako blew a raspberry at Akihiko and went back to her house.

Junpei and I unloaded in our rooms. After bathing and changing my clothes, I began fixing my stuff.

I suddenly became so tired, that when I was arranging my clothes, I became dizzy and fainted in my bed.

When I came to, it was already sunday noon. I laughed very loudly as I went down to find Minako eating the usual bowl of Froot Loops and watching TV with Akihiko, Junpei and Leah.

"Ah, you're awake!" Leah exclaimed, "We were quite worried, Minako especially!"

"Hey!" Minako protested.

"You deny that?" Akihiko asked.

"Er, not really." Minako said, "You had me worried, Minato."

I smiled, "Sorry. Say, isn't it Carrer Week the week after this?"

Junpei groaned, "You just HAD to remind me..."

I shrugged, "Just remembering. What do you think they'd make us do this time?"

"Maybe they'd let me work in a maid café... Too bad I don't own any skimpy skirts." Minako said.

"What about the ones you use when going to the store?" Junpei asked.

Minako looked at him in surprise, "How do you know about that?!"

"Uh... Er..." Junpei blushed.

"He watches you go to the store with Military Grade Binoculars." Akihiko said while a drinking protein smoothie.

"OMG, that's so creepy!" Minako exclaimed as she looked at Junpei with disgust.

"Hey, that's not-" Junpei began.

"He told me he's not gonna stop." Akihiko said.

After a thorough tirade of cursing from Minako, Junpei said he wouldn't spy on her anymore.

Nodding, Minako continued eating cereal, despite it being well past breakfast.

That night, she was watching TV. I took the opportunity to revive an old practice as I scribble something.

**Me: WHATS UP**

Her eyes brightened as she took a notepad.

**Minako: NOTHING MUCH, U**

**Me: WELL, THINKING OF YOU?**

That was quite true. She laughed as she wrote something as well.

**Minako: HAHA, ME AS WELL.**

My heart jumped to my throat.

**Me: YOURE THINKING OF ME...?**

**Minako: HUH...? NO IM THINKING OF MYSELF TOO.**

I laughed.

**Me: R U XITED FOR THE CARRER WEEK**

**Minako: NO CLASSES, SO WHY COMPLAIN**

I nodded.

**Minako: U KNOW, I HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEONE... HES COOL, SMART AND MYSTERIOUS... NOT TO MENTION THICK HEADED.**

I nodded somberly.

**Me: IM GOING TO SLEEP IN A BIT**

**Minako: OKAY.**

Suddenly getting bold, I decided to write something.

**Me: GOODNYT I LUV YOU**

My heart beat out of my chest as I waited for her response.

**Minako: LUV U TOO, BUDDY**

My heart sank. I was quite confused, but I decided to go to sleep, lest I lose my mind in thinking.

**One week later.**

(11/26/10)

Monday...

We were in the classroom as Ms. Toriumi assigned our work.

"As you know, it's Carrer Week today, and here are your job designations..."

She began a long speech about our jobs and I finally heard my name, "Minato-kun, Aida-kun and Yamagishi-chan." She said, "Will work in a restaurant owned by our former student, Suemitsu."

We nodded and went to the specified address.

Lee and Fuuka would be the chefs, while I would be the waiter. The only thing I could say, is that this would be a sad week for the establishment.

The first two days would go along smoothly, but on the 3rd day, Fuuka was planning something.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm planning to make a dish out from scratch." Fuuka said.

I felt an ominous cloud pass over, "Be careful."

After serving some dishes, I saw her add garlic with sour milk. Lee came over, "Cute, isn't it?"

"I'd take away some of those ingredients if I were you... She might end up summoning a demon or something." I said.

"Aw, don't be so mean!" Lee said.

After a few minutes, Fuuka exclaimed, "It's done!"

She handed us two bowls of steaming soup, that didn't feel right.

I gulped as I tried to fake it. It tasted horrid. Lee must've felt it too, since I could hear something sizzling inside his nose. For Fuuka's sake, I'd eat it.

I drank and I drank... I felt my insides burning... I felt thirsty and delirious... I cried for my mother and father to save me, but I imagined Fuuka in Thanatos' costume, laughing at me. She added more soup as Lee cried. I wanted to vomit, but nothing would come out. I relived my worst fears... I suffered... I almost begged Fuuka to kill me, but I finally finished the Soup of Despair.

"Ugh... Ugh... Delicious." I managed.

"Want some more?" Fuuka asked.

"NO!" Lee and I shouted, "Uh, too much of a good thing is bad."

Fuuka nodded and smiled. Lee and I would later throw that soup out. I'd place some of it in a container and kept it.

After that, the remaining two days were normal.

The carrer week ended without a hitch.

(12/02/10)

Sunday...

After studying, Minako and I hung out and ate Froot Loops while watching MTV with Akihiko and Leah.

(12/03-08/10)

Monday-Saturday...

We had exams today and it was fairly easy, since Minako studied with me. After that, Minako went to me:

"I got things to do," Minako said, "See you later?"

"Okay." I said.

As she left, I looked at her wistfully, "You know, Minako's been pretty busy lately..." I mused, "She doesn't see me as much as she usually does..."

"Bro, you see her everyday, and every night if you look out your window." Junpei said.

"Maybe..." I said, trying to reassure myself.

"Maybe? Maybe she's seeing someone else, besides you." Lee said absentmindedly.

"Gee, thanks for the support, Lee. I knew I could trust in you." I said blandly.

"I'm just keeping it real." Lee said nonchalantly.

That stirred me up. What if she was with someone?

"You gotta follow her around, bro." Quan said.

"That's stalking!" Kenji cried.

"No! I trust Minako. Besides, I'm not her father." I said.

"You'll never know." Quan said.

"Forget you guys... I gotta go run some errands..." I said.

"Errand of following her?" Lee asked, "We'll follow you."

I tried to protest, but the guys angrily protested that their respective girlfriends, except for Junpei, have been avoiding them as well, so I conceded.

We immediately tracked Minako meeting up with the girls. They looked pretty grim. They then went together in a group.

"Why must they travel in packs?" Kenji muttered as we trailed them, "Makes it harder for us to approach them."

"I feel like sheep looking at those wolves." Quan panted as we rested for a while.

We eventually stopped at a café. Quan frowned strangely.

"What?" Kenji said.

"That," Quan points to the cafe, "Is Pinky's Family Cafe, Le Pinque."

"What exactly are they doing there?" I asked.

"Maybe Pinky enslaved Minako and the girls to bake cakes for them!" Junpei cried.

"Don't be dumb," Kenji dismissed him with a wave of the hand, "Probably Pinky has some sort of racket and the cafe is just some sort of illegal front."

Then, we saw Minako leading Fuuka in.

"No! They're going to initiate Fuuka! I have to save her!" Lee said.

"Get real guys." Quan said dryly, "Pinky can't even organize the contents of her bag, let alone a drug cartel."

We waited for a while, "Sigh, this is gonna be a while..." I said.

We decided to pass time by playing dice. Probably an hour or so.

"I win! Triple seven!" Lee cried.

"That's crap!" Quan shouted, "There's only six digits in the damn dice!"

"What's up, Wendy Wu?" Lee sneered.

"Quit calling me that, Yaoi boy!" Quan countered.

"Ya gotta bring that up? Uke?" Lee said derisively.

"Seme!" Quan shot back, "Ain't nothing gay about getting banged anally! You're the one who's gay enough to do it! Matter of fact, it creeps me out to stand right next to you. Fag!" Quan said crossly.

"Why you insolent little-"

"Hey... Hey! They're out!" Junpei said as we stood up.

Lee grabbed Quan by the collar, "We'll settle this after class..." He hissed.

Quan pushed Lee, "It IS after class!" He barked.

"Will two shut it and follow?!" I growled.

They followed with hs as we tailed the girls again. They were walking towards the Bank, and Pinky had a large sack. They went inside the bank after looking at their reflections.

"What's in there, I wonder...?" I asked aloud.

"A dead body, maybe?" Lee said.

"It's not." Junpei said, "Too heavy for a 90-pound chick who can't lift an iPhone... Probably money."

After fifteen minutes or so, they exited.

"Aha! It looks like they laundered their money! It only supports that illegal front idea! They're into narcotics!" Lee cried.

"Let's not jump the gun," I said, "Let's tail them first."

We followed them into an abandoned lot. We took cover behind some shipping crates.

"Are they gonna whack someone?" Kenji asked.

"Shhh! Watch!" Junpei hissed.

They took shovels and began digging, as Minako buried a small parcel. After which, they left in a huff.

"Let's go see what it is!" Junpei said excitedly.

"Wait, let's respect their privacy, eh?" Kenji said.

"Anyone care what this guy thinks?" Junpei said loudly.

We didn't answer.

"Great. Be quiet Kenji!" Junpei said, "I've always wanted to say that!"

We went and grabbed the shovels and dug until we unearthed the parcel. I pulled the strings and unwrapped the packaging paper. Inside was a letter, which I opened.

It read:

look behind you, silly rabbits

We let out an audible groan as we looked back and saw the girls crossing their arms and looking really stern.

"What are you morons doing?" Minako asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We, uh, we..." Junpei stammered.

"What have you guys been doing?" Lee said loudly.

"Working!" Rio shouted, "We introduced Fuuka to Pinky's Café."

"Prove it." Quan said.

"Yeah, ya gotta prove it!" Junpei said.

They smirked, "Follow us."

They led us to the Cafe and served us. It was quite good.

After that, we went home.

* * *

_**A/N: Rushed this chapter. Haha, extremely busy.**_

_**Anyways, please review, and should the casual sex thing be the next chapter? Please say so if you're of the same opinion.**_

_KazuyaYamura 6/6/13 . chapter 39_

_Kinda sad that they don't remember Aigis, since she's my favourite character, but still, great chapter. One thing really caught my interest and that was the fact that Lee is actually serious about Fuuka, which made me like him more as an OC. Operation Babe Hunt 2.0 was undeniably a bigger success than the first one, unless you count MC x Aigis (which I do...). And since the school trip is over, I wonder what's gonna happen next! I can't help but think that Cato has somwthing up his sleeve though... But I hope that all of them can make it through whatever he has planned! I would also like to congratulate you for receiving over 500 reviews and I think you really deserve it! I hope that you'll continue this great story, and if I have time, I'll probably read DoW. Although, I must ask, how long is this story gonna be? All things come to an end. Don't forget that. I'll be waiting for the next chapter!_

_**Oops, sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or anything! It's just that I'm quite sore that Aigis indirectly caused Minato's death...**_

_**Yes, Lee is quite serious... So serious, that he'll end up hurting her soon.**_

_**Cato is always plotting. Soon, he'll be suspected by the gang.**_

_**Thanks! It was also with your help and everyone's that I was able to achieve such a feat. Thanks!**_

_**Oh, the end...? Not quite sure yet. Many things to happen. But I do hope you'll read anyway!**_

_Radaketor 6/7/13 . chapter 39_

_Di-did Quan and Lee... no... did they? Nah, they couldn't have... could they?_

_Well, aside from that "confusing" part, the ending to this trip was a good one, i'm really anxious to find out why Cato sponsored the trip._

_Good luck with college and i look forward to DoW._

_**Yes, they did. Quan did a classic Yaoi trick; trap.**_

_**You'll find out very soon why he did that. And thanks for well wishing!**_

_Hoshi no Ookamiden 217 6/7/13 . chapter 39_

_No problem, and I'm here again like always since you asked so nicely. Jokes, I find a warm fuzzy feeling when people appreciate my reviews._

_I just can't believe how good Minato can be with his words. Every time, all the girls? Just wrapped around his finger. Not to mention that Lee's frankly failed attempts at hitting were hilarious as hell, and that his attitude towards everything just makes him an enjoyable character to watch. Junpei? He's Junpei like usual, and doing Junpei-like stuff. He just seems to butt into everything, it's funny. And disappointing. XD_

_Quan... I've nothing to say, but his prank this chapter was just funny. Kenji... probably could have been a bit more involved but thankfully you didn't forget him. Like I do with some character when I'm writing. Just sad times at Gekkoukan High then. Don't do that, please... It would hurt my soul. :D_

_Like I said, more description is always welcome in a story, but other than that..._

_Keep it up!_

_**Thanks! I always find any reviews to be quite exciting, especially if they're long.**_

_**Description... Got it.**_

_**Also, I liked your artwork on Deviantart! Especially with Minako laughing.**_

_Now to answer Stan..._

_blablabla6h 6/7/13 . chapter 20_

_Also, I understand your hatred for Aigis...but come on...Junpei was just acting OOC-ish...because he knew about Aigis and...hell even called her Ai-chan..._

_I don't why,but I feeling scared when I am going to read the next chapter..._

_That was an obvious joke...I know how to write..._

_"Ring-a-ding-ding" In fact yeah, it is...guess what I'll give you advise...play RPG games and listen to music...in your free time...ok?_

_As if! Are you trying to say that "running like a wild man and try to get to the exit" was not crazy enough?_

_By "omnivore", i meant food-fetish..._

_And about the Junpei cockbloker thing...I didn't mean the MinaKari moment...I meant Minato and Minako moment..._

_**Who cares? That's strike two with your constant, undeserved complaining, like a child. So what if he called her Ai-chan? So what if Junpei is OOC? I don't really think MOST people gives a crap... Not that I'm implying anything... Or am I?**_

_**Feel scared. It's gonna get better.**_

_**Sure. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.**_

_**Jokes are meant to be funny, kid. And that's far from funny. And I didn't ask, nor do I care if you know how to write or not. If that's the case, the joke is at your expense.**_

_**Wow! Sage adviCe!**_

_**Not.**_

_**Don't tell me what I can and cannot do in my free time. Also, if you haven't noticed, I actually have a life other than just playing RPG and listening to music... Not that I'm implying something...Or am I?**_

_**As a side note, no RPG had a ring-a-ding-ding sound. Unless it's one for toddlers. Or goobers. NOT that I'm implying anything... Or am I?**_

_**Oh yea! It's as crazy as "Stay and they'll kill you". And it's COMMON SENSE' something that people these days, like ouy lack... NOT that I'm implying anything... Or am I?**_

_**Food fetish, huh? And you used the word omnivore to describe it? Well, please look up those words on the dictionary. If she has a food fetish, than so do I. Oh, yeah, if you're wondering, Minako and Minato do eat a lot, but none of the two get an "unusual sexual gratification" from it not "worship it for it's magical purposes." So check your words before using it lest you look more foolish than you think. Also, ALL humans are omnivores. Again, it would do you well to actually listen to your classes, instead of "playing RPG's" and "listening to music" all the time. Besides, if you don't eat, you'll die... That's the basic needs of MOST humans... NOT that I'm implying something... Or am I?**_

_**It's CockbloCker. And I'm not gonna argue with the MinaKari thing. Though I keep stating that it's MinaYuka, because Minakari is a type of ornament, you seem to ignore that fact. And I think that only you call it that. It's painfully obvious that you think very differently from other lamron people... Einstein defines insanity as "Doing something [or in this case, calling] something over and over again and expecting a different reault) since I'm obviously not insane like some Crowish people, I will not reason with you. Not that I'm implying... Actually, I am implying something... Or am I?**_

_**Also, you may strategically place your wonderfully chapped lips at my posterior and kiss it repeatedly.**_

_**Also, it stated in your profile that you, quote, "HATE GAY PEOPLE!1 I HATE THEM!". Are you some form of homophic bigot or somthing? Besides, you're starting to boarder upon the common troll, you could even qualify to be my Stan. Look it up.**_

_**Also, before you shoot your mouth off again, let me remind you to read everything thoroughly, since it seems like you just glance at the letters and write the first thing that comes out of your pre-pubescent mind.**_

_**Peace out!**_

* * *

**Hey guys! If any of you want to read any great stories, look these two up:**

**Persona 3 Separated by ThePersonificationOfNight**

**-10 years ago the sealing of Death robbed Minato Arisato of his humanity the calm boy slowly turned into a ruthless monster, but as he walks back to Iwatodai he finds himself into contact with his other half which could make even a monster like him experience dark at times. Co-written by Hoshi no Ookamiden 217.**

**Memories of You by ReachingOutFes**

**-"For every side shown, there is a side hidden, secret, rejected from reality. But what happens when this part becomes tangible? Even more so, what happens when this half...loves?" 1st Person point of view. Read and Review (Co written with Gin Nanashi).**

**Any of you want me to advertise? Send me a PM and I'll hook it up!**


	41. Living Legend

_**(12/15/10)**_

_**Saturday, after classes...**_

* * *

Pinky's family cafe became our defacto "usual place" ever since we hung out there. It was very quaint, relaxing and sophisticated. It was filled with the latest cafe technology. There was an indoor garden and an artificial waterfall.

The girls worked there too, saving money for the coming Christmas day. Excited as I was, I was also anxious, since I wanted to be with Minako, but I didn't know how to paraphrase it. Also, I had Yukari to contend with. How would she react? How could I tell her of everything and still make her happy?

Minako gave me my grande latté.

"You are one distracted guy." She muttered.

"Oh, uh, sorry." I apologized, "I was just wondering about who'd be Top 10 again."

"Huh." Minako said as she went back to work.

Since the boys were acting like baboons, arm wrestling and eating cake, I decided to hang out with Naoto, who was busy with her case file yet again.

"Hello." I greeted, "Is this seat taken?"

Naoto gave a small gasp, "Oh, yes, please do."

I took a seat.

"How is the investigation going so far?" I asked, "Is Cato involved?"

"Oh, it's rather frustrating." Naoto said with a sigh, "I can't get any leads as of now, other than Marcus Porcius being an ancient Roman statesman..."

"Is that right?" I mused.

"On a side note, I am so glad that I have a place to do my research at. The tea and scones here are just delightful." Naoto said contentedly.

"Yeah... I heard the girls made that themselves-" I trailed off when a strange old man entered the cafe. He was tall and had seen many winters. He wore a black cape and an older version of Naoto's detective hat and a black cat accompanied him. He also had several traditional containers named 'Kuda'. He took a seat opposite ours.

I sensed Naoto getting breathless at the man, "Is he famous?"

"Famous?!" Naoto said breathlessly, "Yes! That's- Detective Raido Kuzunoha!" She stood up and rushed the man. She stood in front of him, breathing deeply.

"Er... Is there anything I can help you with, Young Man?" He asked.

Naoto nodded slowly while grinning. Minako and Yukari came by me, "What's wrong with Naoto?"

"Nothing... Starstruck." I muttered, "Her- I mean, his version of fangirling."

I went forward with Minako and Yukari.

"Hello Mr. Raidou!" I said, "I'm Minato, and this is Yukari and Minako."

"Hello!" Minako and Yukari said, before Naoto brushed them aside.

"Mr. Kuzunoha! It is such an honor!" Naoto said excitedly, "My name is Naoto Shirogane! I hail from a long line of Detectives!"

He raised his brow, "Shirogane, you say? Are you the Grandchild of

THE Kazuya Shirogane, esteemed patriarch of the Shirogane clan?"

"YES!" Naoto cried, proud of the recognition, "His grandson!"

"I didn't know Kazuya had a grandson..." He muttered.

"He...uh... doesn't talk about me much!" Naoto said as she hawked and tried to spit out a loogie, but the saliva just runs from her mouth.

Raidou leaned to me, "I can see why... The boy is an absolute lunatic!"

Minako and Yukari snickered.

"Just call me Raidou-san, Naoto-kun." Raidou said, supressing a laugh.

"Did you hear that, Minato-san?" Naoto said with a hushed tone, "He considers me a friend!"

"Not really..." I said.

Strangely enough, Naoto, who was the most mature person I've met, was gushing uncontrollably, "I am a HUGE fan! I've read and reread all your exploits a myriad of times! My grandfather gave me an autographed photo of you! Now, I can stare at you as much as I want without my grampa reprimanding me for endangering my vision..."

"Er... He...He's not dangerous, is he?" Old Raidou whispered to me.

"Actually, he's a genius." I said.

"That's not really reassuring..." Old Raidou muttered.

"Don't worry. Nao-kun's just excited to meet you." I said.

"I see... And that hot little redhead and the brunette are your girls?" He asked.

"Uh... In a sense, yeah." I said.

He chuckled, "You're the real genius."

"Oh, such a cute kitty!" Naoto squealed, girlishly this time as she petted the cat.

"That's Gouto-douji, but what's with the voice-"

Then, a man wearing a black trench coat and Ray Ban shades entered the cafe and locked it. He held something inside his coat, like a pistol.

"All right, listen up! I don't want no trouble!" He roared, "Give up all your money and jewelry and there won't be no problem!"

Quan took his wallet and threw it at the robber's feet. So did Junpei and Kenji.

Quan moved, "Don't make me-"

The robber strode to him, "What, you one of them rappers? Tupac? Eminem? What's that? A Rolex? A platinum chain? Give it up!"

I recognized him, "Lee? Lee?"

The robber smiled and drew out his gun- his index finger as the barrel and his thumb as the hammer.

"Bang... Bang... Bang..." He aimed and shot at Quan, Junpei and Kenji with his imaginary gun.

"Get your ass here! Leave those boys alone!" I said, while everyone laughed hard.

"Hahaha! You see those fools almost handed their wallets out! As if I needed another 2,000 yen! Hahaha, you jerks are all right!" Lee laughed along with everyone else as the three picked up their wallets, "Had them shaking in their little-"

He was tackled by Naoto, who cuffed him, "You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law!"

"Yo, yo, yo chill, man, chill!" Lee cried, "It's me!"

Naoto uncuffed him and gave him a dirty look.

"Short people pack a punch..." Lee muttered as he rubbed his wrists.

We returned to Raidou.

"I see you're a remarkable detective as well." Raidou mused.

"Well, I am a bit gifted..." Naoto said pompously.

"Hahaha, anyway, what's that paper?" He asked while Naoto handed him the paper.

He read it carefully.

"Interesting..." He mused, "Curious... very curious..."

"Excuse me, but what's curious?" Naoto asked.

"Well, you seem to have a masked client. It seems the person you're employed to investigate might be the very same person who commissioned you to do so."

"Really?" Naoto said, with a high pitch voice this time.

Raidou's eyes narrowed, "You're female, aren't you?" He whispered.

Naoto gasped, "N-No! I'm not!"

Raidou nodded and opened one of his Kuda containers. Although I heard a 'whoosh' sound, I didn't see anything.

Raidou smiled, "You are a female. Don't deny it."

"H-How did you know?" Naoto whispered.

Raidou considered that question, "I've been in the business a long time."

"Well, it's almost as if you read her mind or something." I said.

Raidou chuckled, and so did the cat, in short mews. Almost as if they shared a private joke.

"Mind reading? That's ridiculous." Raidou said, "Mind explaining why you hide your true gender?"

Naoto bowed her head, "Well... The Police Force is a male-dominated occupation and tend to discriminate females..."

"So you lie about your true self to people who don't matter even if you love doing what you do?" Raidou asked.

"Well..." Naoto blushed.

"Naoto-chan, just because you're female doesn't mean you can't be a great detective. I have a good friend, Nagi, who dreamt of being Geirin Kuzunoha the 18th. And she made that dream a reality." Raidou said.

I took a sip of Minako's apple juice she left behind while tending to a customer.

"I see..." Naoto said.

"And what happened to Nagi?" I asked.

Raidou smiled, "She's the mother of my children and my wife. True love really stems from great friendships."

I sighed as everyone seemed to have great luck with love. Everyone with age.

"Well, I won't tell." Raidou winked, "I need to leave now. Give Kazuya my regards."

"Yes sir!" Naoto said.

Raidou smiled and headed out.

Junpei came by, "Who was that geezer?"

"If you would please stop breathing through your mouth!" Naoto said, "That was Raidou Kuzunoha, the best detective in the world! And my idol as well!" Naoto added.

"So, Naoto, you're a detective, eh?" Junpei said, "Well, I'm a bit of a detective myself. Junpei, Ace Detective at your service!"

"What?! More like Stupei, Ace Defective!" Yukari said, reappearing suddenly.

"Where did you come from?!" Junpei cried as Yukari went away to serve tea.

Minako then arrived, looking pooped. She sat beside me, and tried to sip her nearly empty glass. She then looked absolutely pissed.

"Who drank my apple juice?!" Minako said angrily.

Junpei shook his head.

"Don't you roll your eyes on me, Stupei, I knew it was you! That's why I popped a loogie in it!" She said, though it sounded like a bluff. Though with Minako, it was plausible.

Junpei looked disgusted.

"Oh my God! You spat in it?!" I said in dismay.

"Aha! So it really was you!" Minako cried.

"Yeah... Sorry." I said timidly.

"You're dead!" Junpei whispered, "She's gonna kill you!"

She pursed her lips and punched me lightly on the arm, "Well, I guess it's fine. After all, we share everything, right? Except underwear!" She added hastily.

"WHAT!?" Junpei cried, "I cannot believe you're letting him go THAT easily!"

"What, you were expecting him to be hanged, drawn and quartered?" Minako asked dubiously.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're in love with Minato!" Junpei cried.

"Sigh, Junpei, you really earned the name 'Stupei'..." Yukari sighed as she served the table next to us.

"There she goes again!" Junpei cried, "Anyway, it's true, right?"

"It has to be." The customer beside us said.

"Hey, stay outta this!" Minako chided, "As for me liking Minato... Well..." She bit her nails, "All I can say is that he's incredibly special to me."

"That's a code for You're-Totally-Into-Him!" Lee said.

"No it's not!" Minako argued, "Cause I'm in love with someone else!"

Everyone gasped. My insides turned to ice. I felt like melting on the spot. It was a wonder how I didn't spontaneously combust.

"But don't worry, he's nice, stoic, brave, fearless and charming. He's also my best friend." She said, "I know he'll treat me well if he knew."

Fortunately, Junpei sensed my obvious distress and steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Hey, er, did you see the news recently? Apparently, crooked teeth are considered cute in Japan!" Junpei said.

Quan scoffed, "If that were true, I'd be the Don Juan of Japan."

"First, bagel-heads, now this? Japanese beauty fads are pretty diverse..." I said.

"Well, I know what I'm doing now!" Junpei said, "I'm gonna go chew on a sidewalk..." Junpei said.

"Typical Stupei..." Yukari muttered.

I was about to add the bagel heads, when our hated rivals entered the cafe.

Cato strutted to a table with his sycophantic lackeys, Hide, Yo, Michonne and Hortez.

"Here comes the Preps..." Minako muttered.

"Hello... Commoners." Cato flashed a smile, "You there, uh, 'Lee' how about serving us some coffee?"

"Sure thing. Want a side order of teeth or would spit do?" Lee said.

"Be nice, Lee." Cato said, "Especially to your Elders."

"My middle finger won't go down. How do I wave?" Lee said.

"What do you guys want anyway?" Minako asked.

"Oh, Meenako, you are such a putain!" Michonne said, "'aving Meenato in your arms... Truly a putain. Serve me some puttanesca."

"Well, at least a prostitute makes money for being a hoe. You gladly do that stuff for free." Minako shot back.

"BURN!" Quan shouted.

"Don't be hassling the customers." Pinky said, "That's my job."

"Don't flatter yourself." Cato said, "While I do admit the coffee, tea and scones here are top notch-"

"Why thank you!" Pinky said appreciatively.

"You're welcome." Cato said, "We're observing something. Naoto, how is your... research going?" He said cautiously.

"Sorry, but that is highly confidential." Naoto said bluntly.

"Making any headway?" Cato insisted.

"Slight headway." Naoto said curtly, "That's all I'm to divulge, I'm afraid. My employer would be displeased if I reveal any information."

Cato nodded, "I see, I see..." Cato mused, "Great work ethic... Five frappes please." Cato said.

After waiting a bit, they girls served him and he actually left a generous tip of 5,000 yen each before leaving.

"He sure is a big tipper, eh?" Yukari said.

"Yeah... Makes me feel bad being rude." Minako said.

"5K yen is a grain of sand to Cato." Quan said.

"Cato..." Lee hissed, "My middle finger gets a boner everythime I see his face."

"He'd be handsome if he didn't have that scar and wasn't so evil." Rio said.

They began a debate between Cato being good or evil. I, on the other hand, had an oncoming call from Grandma. I went out to answer, since Lee started another tirade of cursing.

"Hello? Grandma-san?"

"Hello Minato! I'm in Iwatodai! How is everything?" She asked.

I told her of the latest happenings. Especially about the other guy.

"Oh there. You see? The first punch has been thrown." She said, "You've been KO'ed by Mr. Charming."

"C'mon Grandma-san, maybe she's not his type?" I said hopefully.

"What if she is?" She said, "Then it's done. You'd be defeated."

I truly began to fear and loathe my new rival. What if Minako liked him more than me?

"Does it have to be like that, Grandma?" I asked, and saw Minako heading outside.

"Oh, sorry, Minako's coming outside, I'll speak with you soon." I said.

"Okay, good luck, Minato-chan!" She said.

"Thanks Grandma." I said before hanging up.

Minako stood next to me and stared into the greying sky.

"Look... We're going to have a white Christmas..." She breathed as she squeezed my arm while watching the tiny flakes of snow fall from the greying sky.

"Old Man Winter has finally come, eh?" I said, "Let's go inside, before we catch a cold."

"Hahaha, like when you said you wouldn't streak with us, but you did?" Minako teased.

"That was-"

"Or that time I told you not to spend the night at Tokyo?" She said.

"I said that!"

Minako began teasing me of all the things I did wrong.

"Okay, are you gonna report what I did wrong when I was a fetus?" I said jokingly.

Minako put a finger to her chin, "Oh, is that the term they call a baby lizard these days?" Minako joked.

I put a finger on my chin as well, "Why? What did they call you when you were a baby?" I asked.

"Hmmmm...! Cute baby!" She said in triumph.

"Minako, ALL babies are cute... Even the ugly ones." I said as I entered the store.

"Hey!" she slapped my arm, "You tactless moron!"

Later, the two of us would walk home. Yukari, Rio, Kenji and Quan split and went of the opposite direction while Jupei and Lee went to the arcade.

"Tell me about him..." I said, "The jerk- I mean your Crush."

She thought for a while, "He's like you. Smart, handsome and with great hair."

I ran my fingers to my hair, "So, essentially, it's almost as if you had a crush on me?"

"Hmmm... You could say that."

My heart galloped.

"But totally different." She said, "You're my best friend." She said as she punched me lightly on the arm.

Oh, how I wanted to carve my heart out. If she'd cursed me and said something awful, I would not mind.

"Anyways, if you want to meet him, I'll arrange a date with the three of us tomorrow at Museo de Mirror." Minako said, "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"I'll think about it." I muttered as I turned to my house, "We'll see!" I said more cheerfully.

She smiled and entered her house.

I went to bed, hoping to erase the mere thought that Minako harboured romantic feelings to anyone but me.

* * *

**_A/N: finally done. I would have updated earlier, but the net sdied n me._**

**_Anyways, the questions will come soon. Please review!_**


	42. Minato's Promise

**(12/16/10)**

**Sunday...**

* * *

Minako got up extra early to prepare. She was so excited to show to Minato just who exactly Prince Charming was. She even dressed up in a pretty orange sunday dress for it. After finally fixing her hair, it was late noon.

Minako walked through Narda. She then heard a cry of pain. Panicking, she rushed towards Minato's room, scared for the worst.

"Minato? Minato?!" Minako shouted as she entered the room.

"Aaargh!" I cried as I clutched my stomach.

"What happened? Who did this?!" She cried.

"Ahhh...ohhh!" I clutched my stomach, which was painful.

"Oh my," Minako gasped, "Does your stomach hurt again? Did you go poo?"

"Yes, yes." I said hastily.

"Oh, uh, what did you eat?" She asked.

"I don't... Ugh... know!"

"Waitaminute..." She whispered, "You never get sick... Minato, are you good timing me? Hm?" She said as she did a puff-puff.

"No." I said stubbornly.

"Ah, okay, I'll cancel the date then..." She said.

"No, you go..." I winced.

She nodded, "Thank you Minato!" She cried as she went out.

I sighed as I stood up. I pressed the speed dial of Grandma.

"Hello? Grandma-san?"

"Hullo Minato!" Grandma greeted, "How is the love story going so well?"

"Not good. I had to fake a stomachache just to avoid being third wheel in Minako's date. Was that right?"

"Of course not!" She cried, "What a foolish thing to do!"

"Wh-What do you mean?" I asked in surprise.

"Oh Minato... That only makes his game easier. Instead of being wary of you, he can do what he wants with Minako! Oh, such ignorance!" Grandma bemoaned.

"Oh no...! Should I go now?" I asked hastily.

"Don't! It will only make you seem desperate!"

"That's because I am desperate!" I cried, "Grandma, I need to help her!" I cried as I took a pair of pants and began dressing up.

"Good luck, Minato! And bring home the bacon! I want to see my hypothetical grandson get married before I die!" Grandma cried.

"Grandma-san, don't say that! You still have a few years left in you!"

"I was trying to be dramatic! Rush to her side! GO!" She cried as she hung up.

I ran outside. I knew that Museo de Mirror was on the south end of the Island, and there is absolutely no way I could ever make it on foot. I decided to get the spare keys to the Mutsuhito and drove it there.

I was such in a rush, that I ran over someone who looked suspiciously like Junpei and didn't look back. I hit him so hard, that his shoes flew off his feet and his hat got stuck in my windshield.

I arrived at Museo de Mirror and angrily stormed in. "Ticket for one, please!" I growled.

"Sorry, we don't have change yet. You got any small bills?" The small lady asked.

"Oh, yeah, hang on..." I said as I opened my wallet and grabbed a few small bills. After paying, I entered the museum. There were a lot of vintage mirrors, but seeing as this place was named Museo de Mirror, it didn't shock me the least.

I strode everywhere, looking for Minako. The place was nearly deserted. After returning to ask the receptionist if Minako came here, she said yes. Returning in, I looked for her again.

If she was with someone who worked here, I'd buy this place and fire him. I was starting to think she and the guy went to somewhere more private. Shoving that thought aside, I saw a flash of red in the corner of my eye and bolted for it.

I saw Minako on the dead end. She was looking high-strung. As if she was playing a game of hide and seek.

"Hey Minato!" She greeted amiably, "Saw you go in while I was going out. Thought I might have a bit of fun with you."

"What is wrong with you?!" I cried as I panted, "Got me running all over the place..."

"Tee hee!" Minako giggled, "Why are you here?"

"My stomach ache passed and I came over here to meet this guy..." I said, "Where is he anyway?" I craned my neck, hoping to see him hiding behind one of the trashcans or something.

"He's over there!" She cried while pointing to the mirror we were looking directly at. I stared at the mirror. Just me and Minako. No one else.

"Really, where is he?" I said.

"Haha, never mind." Minako said, slightly disappointed.

We talked about stuff a bit. After which, we had a few snacks at the food court, which was very well supplied. People were all over the place. I also bought Minako a Starter cap of the Red Sox from the gift shop.

After having fun and feeling triumphant at beating the mystery crush, we decided to head back. I expected Minako to get mad at me using Mutsuhito, but she was relieved she wasn't gonna use the train or walk.

"Oh man... I really am amazed he came for me..." Minako sighed, "It's as if it were really meant to be!"

"You know, I'm pretty sure if Yukari's babbling what you're babbling, you would've laugh at her till you explode." I said, half annoyed. The stormy gray clouds perfectly described my mood as it began to drizzle.

"Well, I'm already big... I have savings and a car... Everything is in the right... Only you aren't." She added with a wink.

I opened my arms in exasperation, "Why did the conversation steered to me yet again?! Never mind, stay here while I grab the Emperor." I covered my head with the jacket as I braved the torrents of rain.

"Minato! Minato!" She cried as she followed me.

"What's wrong with you?! Come here!" I said as I shielded her head as well.

"So, would you miss me if I'm gone?" She cried as she ran with me into the rain.

"Leave where?!" I cried amidst the din of the rain.

"If I followed this guy to the US or Europe or to the ends of the world? If we decide to settle somewhere, like in Singapore or Hong Kong?"

"This... this is why I don't want you to soak in the rain! The water messes with your brain! Ah! The keys are jammed!" I cried as the car refused to unlock.

"Hurry! I'm getting soaked!" Minako cried, "Let me-"

"No, get in here!" I said as I pulled her from the rain.

"Ahahaha!" We both laughed as we finally opened the car and entered it.

We cruised the Emperor by the beachroad. She was at ease, putting her bare feet om the vintage dashboard. She tried turning the radio on.

"Hey, that's busted." I said, as she tried to play a song.

She turned it on, "No it's not." She playfully slapped my arm.

"Oh... I thought it was!" I said sheepishly.

She played 'Head Over Heels' by Girls Like Boys.

She sang it with her usual off-key warbling, "Haven't you gotten over that song yet?" I asked in annoyance. She kept singing it at school as well. I could also hear her sing from my room.

"No way!" Minako said, "I feel like they're singing for me!"

"Big difference if you're the one singing." I said dryly, "Besides, why would they sing for you?"

"Why wouldn't they? Remember, first love never dies..." Minako said while swooning.

"You love the song or the singer?" I asked cautiously.

"For the guy I'm thinking of..." She said carefully, "Prince Charming!"

"Aw, c'mon Minako, that's probably just puppy love- Quit it!" I said as she poked me in the ribs.

"Forget you! It isn't!" She cried indignantly, "More than that! He's smart, handsome-"

"Mysterious, blockheaded and utterly predictable. Not to mention he ran out on you-" I finished while Minako sang the chorus louder as my phone rang.

I took it and accepted the call from Junpei, "Hello? Yeah, I'm with Minako right now-" Hearing her name, Minako placed her ear on the back of the phone, her head bobbing the phone into my head, "Yes, we'll be home later. Really? Some idiot in a Dodge Charger ran over you? What? Is that so? Don't know anything, bro..." Minako pressed her head further into the phone, "I'll call you back, there are a lot of mosquitoes here!" I remarked as Minako slapped me in the arm.

"What the- quit it, I'm driving!" I said as Minako pinched me lightly in the ears several times.

"Where's the mosquito? Who is it?" She said playfully as she pinched my ears.

"You, nosey fox!" I said grumpily.

"Nosey fox! Nosey fox!" She said as she flicked my earlobe several times.

"Okay, one more time, and I'll crash this thing right into that guardrail." I said in annoyance.

When she tried it again, I swatted her hand away.

"Ow! That hurts!" She flicked my ear again, "Eh? Eh? He's annoyed now!" She teased as she prodded me with a finger.

"Argh! You're so annoying!" I groaned in irritation.

"Annoying? Is it?" She prodded me again.

"Yeah, yeah, keep doing that. That's real mature!" I said flatly.

She laughed out loud.

Later, we decided to head home. When we did, I stretched.

"Hey, Hamuko, wake up, we're home." I said as I yawned.

She turned to me, still sleeping. I realized that I never had a photo of her sleeping.

I decided to take a stolen shot.

"The only thing missing in this shot, would be a steak skewer in her mouth and a cauldron of boiling water..." I snapped a few shots, "Then I can cook you..."

She scrunched up her nose, making me smile. Then, it hit me that she looked beautiful while sleeping.

"TIME TO EAT!" I shouted as she woke up and screamed, "You tool... I thought it was him..." She groaned.

I laughed while getting out of the car.

As usual, we had dinner at our place. Junpei did look banged up.

"I got run over by a crazy ass driver, flew 8 feet in the air, before landing on my head!" Junpei cried.

"Be grateful." Minako said, "That's what probably saved your life."

Leah, Akihiko and I laughed as Junpei placed ice on his head, filled with contusions.

Then, Minako went in my room.

"How was your date?" I asked cautiously.

"It was fun." Minako said simply.

"Really?" I scoffed, "Not that I care. You can see who you want to see." I said as I jumped in my bed.

"Waitaminute... Minato... Are you jealous?" Minako said, narrowing her eyes, "You only seem to get an upset stomach when you're agitated. And this is the first time you ever rushed out to check on me..."

"Don't generalize my stomach ache with jealousy." I said dismissively, "And besides, me? Jealous of him?" I scoffed incredulously, "I'm WAY more handsome than he is!"

"Come on, buddy, be straight!" She said as she jumped on the bed and looked me in the eyes, "Has there been any time you've wanted me? Be honest!" She said as she looked me in the eyes eagerly.

"The truth?" I said.

"Yes!" Minako breathed.

"Well..." I blushed, "I do love..."

She took a deep breath. She placed her hands on her chest.

"Arms!" I cried as I kneaded her arms with my hand. Her face fell, "They're so soft! They feel like a baby's thigh!"

She punched me on the face. "You're such a jerk!"

"Sorry..." I groaned.

She laughed, "It's fine."

We talked about random stuff.

"You're planning business, huh?" Minako said, "What if you get bankrupt? Be a Doctor."

"No way, I'm gonna do what my heart tells me." I said.

"True, true." Minako said, "If you do get rich, share some of the loot, eh?"

"Minako, if that guy and you don't work out, let's get married!" I said, using a joking kind of voice, when I was totally and deathly serious.

"Eh? Okay then." She said lightheartedly, "And then, you'd share your loot? You have to promise me that you'd take care of me even if I become an old hag."

"Someday, when I get a job and have money, I promise that I'll marry you, Minako." I swore, "We'll have lots of kids and we'll be happy. Forever and always."

"Yeah right, sure." Minako said with a chuckle, "When will you quit joking around?"

I held her by her chin, making her look into my eyes, "And what if I'm not joking? What if I want you to be mine forever?"

She turned around, "Don't... Don't joke about that..." She turned again to look at me, "Are you serious about what you said?"

I shrug, "Who knows what the future holds? But if I were to marry someday, you'd be my first choice."

She smiled, "Okay, fine. You'll be responsible for me, okay?"

"Sure." I smiled, "Forever and always."

She smiled even wider, "That's what friends are for!" She punched me lightly, but it felt as if the foundations of my world were eroding beneath me.

"I'll hold you to that promise, moron, don't forget it." She winked as she left via Narda.

I lay on my bed, groaning at Minako's ignorance of my true feelings...

_Why can't she see that I'm the one who understands her?_

_I've been here all along, so why can't she see...?_

_Why can't she feel what I feel?_

_And most of all... Why can't she see that she belongs with me?_

* * *

_**A/N: a chapter full of MinaxMina moments! Please review!**_

_ blablabla6h 6/17/13 . chapter 41_

_Minako is a nasty liar...or did I miss something from the last chapter?_

_**You missed the Author's note. Actually, you missed a lot.**_

_ Hoshi no Ookamiden 217 6/17/13 . chapter 41_

_Huh. Why do I think this is going to end badly for the both of them? *laughs awkwardly*_

_But on another note, how come you like putting in Mulan references everywhere? I don't mind but I'm just wondering. I have recognised quite a few so far. And same with DoS where you put in that random Beauty and the Beast reference. Do you just like putting in references like that? XD_

_Anyways, coolio chapter and I hope for more!_

_**Mainly since my niece loves the show. I try to add as much as I can. And besides, it fits with Naoto's predicament, no?**_

_ Cutiekuts 6/13/13 . chapter 40_

_Hi, I'm a new reader of yours! :) Just started reading this, and it's AMAZING! I read all 40 chapters in one morning(too obsessed? :P) and I'm just sitting here waiting for more. I've read a bunch of Persona fanfics, but so far, you're my favorite writer! Keep it up! Now, to talk about the book. I really love the way Minato and Minako have feelings for each other and finally get enough courage to kiss. When I read that part, I was like "HELL YEAH! FINALLY!" I'm really impressed with your writing and I can't wait for the rest of the chapters of DoA to come out!_

_**Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it very much that you enjoyed reading it!**_

* * *

_ Radaketor 6/12/13 . chapter 40_

_... Duuuude... calm down with blablabla6h, even if he is a troll, just ignore him, also about him hating gay people, he get's to have a oppinion, i have nothing against homosexuals, i even knew a couple and they didn't actually mind that some people hated them, so just try to calm down and try to play his game, troll him too, don't get angry at me for saying this._

_Now about the fic, it didn't really advance the story as much as i would think it would, but it was a nice chapter after the gruelling trip they had, nice to see you brought back the notepad, i kind of missed it ...about the casual sex... YES DO IT! *cough* i mean... sure why not, what could happen *tries to play it cool*._

_It did seem a bit rushed but with you being in college that's not your fault, good to see it's going great and you being voted class president seems like a good way to make them all read your stories. *evil laugh*_

_Nice chapter, looking forward for the next._

_**I can ignore it, I really can, but I cannot ignore a slur on homosexuals. While I'm not remotely bi-curious and as straight as a pole, I have a brother who's gay and it was hard for him to get respected. I'm touchy in these kinds of topics.**_

_**No, I'm not angry at you, don't worry! About both, he's not worth your attention. It's hard on me, especially when a certain someone loves stalking me on deviantart...**_

_**Also, it's been moved, the sex thing.**_


	43. Elite Christmas Party

**A/N: New poll! Please vote!**

**(12/17/10)**

* * *

**Monday...**

After getting the results (Me being top of the class again.) we went to class, where Professor Peter was having an oral quiz.

"Brains are totally amazing. They work 24/7 on the clock, for 365 days, from the day we were born and only stop when we..." Professor said and trailed off, making a motion for us to answer the question.

"Take exams?" I said.

The class laughed. Even Professor.

"Okay, now, Quan, give the report about China." He said.

Quan stood up proudly and began a long, rather boring speech about China's greatness.

"Thus, the Great Wall of China comes as the seventh wonder of the world!" Quan concluded his report as thus.

"Probably since that's the only Chinese product that lasted that long!" Lee retorted.

The class again roars in laughter.

"Say, Prof, can I go use the toilets?" Lee asked.

"You've been there many times already...Answer this question first... Define machine." Professor said.

"Oh, machines are anything that reduces human effort." Lee said simply.

"Reduces human effort..." Professor mused, "Be more specific."

"Okay... Uh, a condom could be considered one. Reduces human effort of having to earn for kids. Get it warm for a while, lube that bitch up and slip him in!" Lee said as he made a rolling up and down motion.

Cato, who sat in today, threw something at Lee, which made him flinch, "Sir, machines are a combination of bodies so interconnected that their relative movements are synchronized with each motion. And by which means force and motion maybe transmitted and modified and strengthened as the screw in its nut or a lever range turnabout a fulcrum or a pulley by its pivot etc. especially a construction more or less complex combination of a combination of moving parts or simple mechanical elements as wheels, levers, cams etc." Cato said.

"Er... Thanks Cato." Professor said, "Lee, you may go."

"Oh, finally!" Lee sighed.

"Where are you going, eh?" Cato said, "Define it like I did."

"Oh for Pete's sake! Facilities which may be urinated, defecated and nauseated, areas which may be used for washing, gushing, brushing and flushing. By which people with full bladders may relieve themselves with relative ease and comfort, if someone wants to swirlie someone or when they want to or need an excuse to get out of class." Lee said.

"What?" Cato said.

"The toilets." Lee said said the entire class roars with laughter, by which he exited.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to mention... There will be a Christmas Ball for chosen students who have achieved excellently within school standards. It starts on the 19th, right after closing ceremony." Professor Peter said.

After classes, we found out the Top Ten and a good few others were chosen to go.

Yukari came to me immediately after I went out.

"Hey Minato-kun." She greeted.

"Oh, hey Yuka-chan." I said.

"So, I was thinking... The ball, right? Are you free?" She asked.

My heart plummeted. I hated doing this, especially to girls. But my heart wants what it wants and it wants Minako, not Yukari. She's my past and Minako is my present and future.

I decided not to lie to her and tell it to her straight, "I'm sorry, Yukari..." I said, "But... I want to go with Minako."

Her eyes fluttered, as if she didn't believe me, "Really...?"

"Yes, really." I said boldly, "It's not you, it's me."

"Oh my God... Not that line again..." She muttered.

I gulped, "No, seriously. You truly deserve someone better."

She raised an eyebrow, "Tell me this, Minato and be honest..." She said, "Do you have feelings for Minako?"

I opened my mouth and closed it.

"Don't you dare lie to me." Yukari said casually.

I took a deep breath, "Yes. I have feelings for her."

That moment, I saw pure disappointment in her face, which she hid in a veil of false happiness.

"Is that so?" Yukari said with clenched teeth, "Good for you two."

"Yukari... Please... I'm still trying to figure out my true feelings." I said.

"Don't lead me on, Minato." Yukari said stiffly, "Just take your sweet time." She said and left.

I decided to go ahead and ask Minako. But for some reason, girls kept asking me to go to the dance, which I replied with a vehement 'no'. I even heard of a plot from Junpei and Kenji that some sophomore girls were planning to spike my drink with some kind of love potion, but I didn't confirm it yet.

I found her outside the lunchroom, no surprise there, but she was surrounded by many boys. Such a sight made my blood boil with a vengeance.

"Er... Wanna go to-" a freshman began.

"Not on your life." Minako said harshly.

"Wh-what about me? My dad owns a yacht..." A sophomore said.

"Buy your own yacht then!" Minako cried.

"Hey, honey, I don't have a date-" a junior said.

"I already have one, so take a hike!" Minako spat. She looked at me and held my arm as I glared at the boys.

"Oh!" The freshman cried, "S-Sorry Arisato-san, we didn't know she was yours!"

They scurried off.

"Thanks. Those annoying boys wouldn't stop hassling me." Minako said, "Thanks Minato."

I smiled dumbly, "Um... Minako?"

She tightened her lips and raised her eyebrows, "Yes?"

"Uh...uh..." I felt totally idiotic acting nervous, but I bit the bullet and said in the most eloquent tone ever, "Wangoballwibme?"

She tilted her head, "Say what?"

"D-Do you want to go to the... b-ball with me?" I said nervously, "You know, the Christmas Ball?"

The words were out of my mouth before I knew it. I felt as if a stranger had said it.

Minako turned her bright, red eyes at me in surprise, "The Christmas Ball? With you?"

"I'd love to go! But..." She pursed her lips, "Sorry, I already said yes to someone."

I closed my eyes and wished for the ground to swallow me up right now. I wanted to shoot myself with an Evoker, that was an actual gun. Preferably something that could kill big game animals, like Elephants, Rhinos or Gorillas. I didn't want anyone to recognize my corpse after this epic fail.

"Wait, let me text him..." She said as she fished out her Samsung Galaxy phone.

I nodded darkly, not meeting her eyes. Then, my phone vibrated and I opened a text from Minako.

_"dude, a rilly handsum blu hared emo dood asked me to da dance nd im gonna say yes. Hihihihihi!"_

I smiled. When I turned around, Minako grinned widely.

"You're such a troll, you know that right?" I said playfully.

"At any rate, the answer is yes, handsome." She said as she kissed me on the cheek.

"Aha!" Pinky cried. Minako grabbed Pinky and ran off.

I sighed contentedly. I was ready to die. Minako kissed me on the cheek... Though it doesn't sound like a big deal though, me having kissed her on the lips already.

I whistled and grabbed a terrified freshman and danced with him in the halls.

Pink found out about it though, "Hey everyone! Minato loves Minako! MINATO LOVES MINAKO!" Pinky wailed about and sure enough, everyone knew that I was taking Minako to the Christmas Ball.

Everyone looked at me. Girls with hurt looks, and guys looking murderously at me, but they didn't voice it out.

**(12/19/10)**

**Wednesday...**

After signing our attendance, we listened to the usual droning of the Principal. I had already asked Lee if it was okay with him if the boys and I could use the dorm as a changing room, to which he shrugged a, "Sure."

I wore a formal winter coat with a pair of slate slacks and polished snowboots.

We separated after that. Lee was going with Fuuka, Quan with Pinky, Kenji with Rio. Junpei had no date, seeing as Chidori was busy. I felt sorry for Junpei, but it seemed he was down for a long distance relationship. Instead, he asked Leah if she was interested, and she accepted, since she was bored. Yukari also had no date, so she and Junpei decided to ask Leah and Akihiko to accompany them.

When I arrived at the school lobby at 6:30, I found an unusual amount of girls lurking about, all of whom were staring at me rather resentfully as I approached Minako. She wore a magnificent crimson gown that made her seem like a walking flame that had been entirely encrusted with precious gems and jewels, red, yellow, orange, white and blue, that accents it. As she walked towards me, the other girls gasped in admiration and envy as she seemed to be engulfed in tongues of fire.

I was awed, "H-Hi." I said, "Should we go?"

"Oh, sure." Minako said cheerily, "Where is the party?"

"Auditorium." I said, leading Minako along the hallway, away from all the muttering and staring.

Deciding to compliment her, I said, "You look fantastic."

She blinked her eyes, "Why, thank you!"

"Yes, your dress compliments your eyes." I said.

"Thanks." Minako said.

We opened the door of the auditorium. The ceiling and walls were draped with red, green and brown, colors of Christmas. There were gold and silver tassels, that it seemed that the room was one colossal tent.

The place was positively crowded, stuffy and bathed in an orange firelight, cast by the chandelier assembled earlier.

Loud caroling and Christmas songs were being sung. The distinct haze of smoke wafted from a nearby closet. When I opened it, Lee was inside smoking one while wearing a Santa hat. I closed the door, though.

Several old timers were conversing in croaked, hoarse voices as they ate Christmas ham and eggnog.

A troop of waiters were navigating their way through the crowds, bearing silver platters of food, that they seemed like moving tables.

"Ah, Minato, my lad!" Boomed Professor as soon as he saw me, "Come on, there are so many people I want to introduce you to!"

Professor was wearing suit, with a blue blazer.

He gripped my arm tight, he led me to the throng of a party. I quickly grasped Minako's hand and dragged her along with me into the fray.

"Minato, Minako, I'd like you to meet my old teacher, Mel Turner, a former collegue of mine as well as the author of 'J.R.R. Tolkien: Realist or Fantastic?' And his friend, Kristoff Polkien."

Mel, who was a tall, lean man with a bald head and a small goatee, shook my hand vigorously. His companion merely nodded curtly. He looked absolutely bored. A group of students looked at him curiously.

"Minato, I've heard quite a lot from you!" Mel said, "Your life story is so tragic. I was saying to Peter here if you were interested in making a biography? Tragic Short Second Life of Minato Arisato!"

"Really?" I said, not sure what to make of it.

"You're too modest." He said, "But come on..." His tone became unusually formal and businesslike, "I'd be glad to write it myself. Everyone still wonders how you rose from the dead. 'Are you a zombie?' 'What does Heaven looks like?' are only some of the questions in their minds. They're craving for revelations! They're hungry for it! Hungry I say!" Mel said, before composing himself, "If you grant me an interview for about... Oh, I don't know... Five to six hours everyday until the next two weeks, we could have a book out within a month, or a fortnight! And with extremely little effort on your part. Ask Kristoff here."

Kristoff grunted.

"My dear chap, the amount of money you could make would be-"

"Not interested." I said firmly, "And I need to see that my friend here has something to eat. Good evening to you." I said as I grabbed Minako and passed through two people who looked like they were from 2NE1.

We saw Rio, who looked dishevelled, as if she fought her way here from a forest.

"Hey, Rio, what happened?" Minako asked.

"Oh, yo... I just escaped... I mean left Kenji for the while... He's had a little too much eggnog." She panted, "Under the mistletoe." She said after Minako and I looked at her strangely.

The three of us made our way over the other side of the room, taking three goblets of punch, and saw Ms. Toriumi alone.

"Oh, hey Ms. Toriumi." Minako said.

"Eh? Good evening, Minako." She said with a slightly slurred voice.

We could smell the fumes of Bourbon on her breath.

A waiter came by. He looked oddly familiar.

"Deviled eggs, anyone?" He asked.

"Richard? That you?" Minako said, remembering the battered kohai Lee bossed and bullied around, which they took as a sign of affection.

"Yep. They were a bit too shorthanded here, so Professor asked Big Boss to find some help. I wanted to go with my girl, but whatever Boss' commands are my desires." Richard said unhappily, "At least I get to sample the food. He has Adachi handing towels in the bathroom." He then gestured to the silver platter full of eggs, "Deviled eggs?"

"No thanks." Minako said.

"Eh? Well, good choice. These things give horribly bad breath. They're like Cool Ranch Doritos." Richard muttered.

"In that case, these might keep Kenji at bay..." Rio said as she stuffed her face with several of the eggs, "Oh crap!" Rio hissed,"It's Kenji!" She waved at us, before running off.

"Was that Rio a while ago?" Kenji, who reappeared between two people, said a minute later.

"Nope, didn't see her." I said.

"I see..." Kenji said.

"Try looking for her." Minako said.

I nearly coughed out my punch, because that was the exact reason why Kenji was doing. It had been worth it to bring Minako.

Lee later met up with us, holding Fuuka's hand.

"Hey you two!" Lee said, "Lookin' real happy!"

I looked at Lee, then at Minako, who was blushing.

"Thanks Lee, I-" I said, but I didn't finish it, since my spirits were raised by a great sight. Cato Romano being dragged by the ear towards us by the Guard. We found out Professor was eating whilst talking to an old friend behind us.

"Professor Lao!" The Guard barked, his eyes gleaming with joy, "I discovered this miscreant loitering up near the Astronomy Tower, claiming to have been issued an invitation, only for it to be blown away by the winds! He delayed in returning, so I apprehended him. Did you give him an invite?"

Cato jerked his arm of the Guard's grip, looking angry, "Alright, fine, I wasn't invited, you old geezer! I was trying to gatecrash! I thought it be painfully obvious to one who may posses a brain!"

"Well, you're in trouble!" He wheezed, "Night time prowling is considered trespassing unless you have permission!"

"That's enough, Taro, that's enough." Professor said, putting up one hand, "It's a Christmas Party and not a crime to want to attend. Just this once, Cato, we'll forget about punishment. You may stay."

Cato smiled, "Many thanks, Sensei." He bowed.

"No problem. After all, your father did sponsor these delightful foods!"

Cato smiled and went off.

Minako, Lee, Fuuka and I went to the tables to eat after mingling for an hour or two.

"Okay, here's the plan... You girls go grab some drinks, while Minato and I go grab some chow." Lee said.

"Yeah, sure." Minako said and they left.

I too, a plate and cut up some chicken.

"You should try the boar." A sarcastic voice said, "Father and I shot them this morn." Cato said as he smiled.

Since he showed no outward sign of hostility, I decided to be nice, "How do you do, Cato?"

"Very well, thanks." Cato said, "Say, would you indulge me upon something? I've been into swords lately, and I saw this entry... But of course, you wouldn't want to-"

"Yeah, I know a thing or two." I said, somewhat proud I knew something he didn't.

"Please enlighten me. I saw a sword of light and a sword of darkness." Cato said, "Listed as the Sword of the Deathslayer and the Blade of the Lightbringer."

"Well... It all started from legend... Back when the world was young and innocent, about a century or so after Noah and his family escaped the Flood, Lucifer decided to cause bloodshed within his descendants. But he had nothing to make people fight over. So he crafted the first sword from his tooth and encrusted it with powerful, cursed jewels from his kingdom... With it, he imbibed it with his cruelty, his malice and will to dominate any and everything... It was never to be beaten. He gave it to Nimrod, the Hunter-King of his clan, who used it to unite the people... But there was a price... It will whittle the life of its user, unless it sheds blood a thousand times on the course of a month." I explained, "Though powerful, it has a bloody past... Almost all owners had died a great death after living five minutes in its glory... It will ever only serve one Master... One master who could bend it to his will... And it's the namesake of the blade."

"But why didn't anyone destroy it?" Cato asked.

"Because of the one thing mortal men desire the most... Power." I said, "Lucifer's Blade is mighty and indomitable."

Cato proved to be a keen listener, nodding and not interrupting. He really did seem interested, so I forged on.

"Nimrod used it to his advantage, killing his kinsmen who led clans that opposed him and united the people under his dominance. Then, after he had shed enough blood, he used his powers to create the Tower of Babel, and when they launched volley of arrows into the sky, blood would drip down. The Lord then struck them, changing their language and so on. The accounts were hazy, but Nimrod lost the sword to Sargon, who used it to unite his clan to create the first empire." I said.

"And the notable welders?" Cato asked.

"Uh... Alexander the Great, King Leonidas, Darius the Great, King Solomon, Julius Caesar, Philip of Macedon, Ramses II, King Ahab and King Saul... All suffered horrifying deaths."

"Saul?! King of Israel?" Cato said in shock.

"Yes... It was that sword that caused him to become what he became... In response, the Lord created Deus Xiphos from his tears. the embodiment of Heaven and gave it to David. After Saul died, David took it for himself, despite the Prophet Nathan's pleas to destroy it. In fact, he was wearing Lucifer's Blade when he saw Bathsheba and when he planned to kill Uriah, the Hittite."

"So, not only does it strengthens the user and steals their life force, but also influences them?" Cato said.

"Right. The voice sounds like a snake hissing in your ear. It even corrupted the once-wise King Solomon. After the affair, David broke it apart and threw it away. Solomon found it and reforged it at his wive's coaxing... After that, the sword was passed down until the reign of Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa, it was lost at sea. Legends say it dissolved in the sea, because it was always afire inside. Hence, it became lost... Some say the Saracens recovered it and conquerored the Crusades. Some say Richard Lionheart found it and wielded it with great effect. And some even said that the leader of the Boxer Rebellion wielded it, until it abandoned him... But I'd like to think it lay where it belonged... out and beyond of our reach..." I muttered, "If the sword feels you getting weak, it will leave you without hesitation and seek out a new master."

"Huh... And the other sword?" Cato asked.

"That? It was handed down David's bloodline... Father to son, and so on... I think even the Messiah wielded it... They say the owner might even be the descendant of David, but I didn't confirm it." I said, smiling inside, "It was the opposite of Lucifer's Blade, sonce it valued nobility, honor and dignity."

"I see..." Cato said, "Truly, that was informative, my friend... If you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to." He said and left. I went with Lee, who talked about Fuuka.

"Yeah, I think she knows that I have a big hear-" Lee began, when Woozie, who was serving food, spoke up. He was one-third of the kohai Lee dedicated to make miserable.

"Spotted Dick?"

"What?" Lee said, "What did you say?"

"Spotted Dick." Woozie said.

"Tch... Can believe this guy?" Lee whispered, "I try to find some grub, and he asks me if I got the clap-"

"Fool, he's offering you food." I said as I cut some ox tongue in gravy and mushroom soup.

"Oh, Spotted Dick!" Lee said, "Better call Quan, he might want a mouthful of it!"

Even I had to laugh at that.

"Alternatively, it's also called Spotted Richard." Woozie said.

"What did you call me?!" Richard cried from the other side of the table.

"Uh... Spotted Richard?" Woozie said.

"Spotted Richard!" Richard cried, "That does it! Outside now!" He said, throwing down his apron as he and Woozie went out.

Several students outside made way.

"It's a fight!"

"It's a fight, it's a fight..."

"IT'S A FIGHT!"

Richard pointed Woozie to one area. He shook his fist, "Prepare yourself, Woozie!" He cried as he charged.

Woozie cooly jumped above Richard and did a cheap-shot, kicking him and making him land on the floor.

"Ugh..." Richard groaned, "You cheat! Coward!"

"You are too old fashioned!" Woozie declared.

"You arrogant fool!" Richard spat.

"Stop this." Lee said, "Richard Mueller, Master of ContA Muay Thai is an honorable man and Wu Zi Mu is also an honorable man, Sensei of the Twelve Kicks school of Martial arts... But it is dishonorable to fight over such trifle things!" Lee cried.

After the fight broke, we had some tea.

"Whoa, it's nearly 2." I said, "Witching hour." I said.

Suddenly, something dreadful happened. Something so absolutely horrifying to the members of S.E.E.S., that it shook us to our core when it happened.

Time stood still. The familiar feeling of gripping cold and fear enveloped us. The moon and sky became a pale, sickly green color. Everything mechanical grinded to a halt as the sound system stopped abruptly. And the most shocking of all?

Everyone, except Minako, Lee, Kenji, Quan and the rest of the S.E.E.S., were instantly transmogrified into upright caskets with a red and green underlight.

I instantly knew what had happened... Although it was very preposterous, after we ended it, it was the only tangible thing that could possibly be happening... It was reinforced when I looked out the window to see the Astronomy Tower turn into a tower of Babel.

The Dark Hour had returned.

* * *

**_A/N: Made this chapter extra long! Please ask anything! Review please!_**

**_For those of you who forgot who Richard, Woozie and Adachi are, go reread chapter 32 again._**

**_I'm so sorry for not answering any questions in reviews anymore! I have so little time to answer, but my sched this week allieviated somewhat, so please feel free to ask via review or PM and I'll answer it straightaway! _**

**_And the Dark Hour will be explained._**


	44. The Cloaked Shadow

**_A/N: Wheeee! My story rose among the ranks as one of the most reviewed! Thanks to all who reviewed!_**

**_Now, here's a relatively short, but action packed chapter. Bite and fun sized for your amusement!_**

**(12/19/10)**

**Same evening...**

* * *

Everyone who was active gasped. Rio, Junpei, Pinky, Kenji, Quan, Leah, Akihiko, Lee, Yukari and Fuuka converged with us at the center of the ballroom.

"Junpei, what did you do?!" Yukari cried.

"Why do you instantly blame this on me?!" Junpei cried.

"What the hell is going on!?" Quan said in fear, "What the hell happened?!"

"Ohmygosh! I feel like I'm in Obscure!" Pinky shrieked.

"Holy crap, don't say that!" Kenji said, "That game is scary as shit!"

"What is happening?!" Rio cried.

"Is this some kind of super lunar phenomenon or something?" Leah asked, "I'm glad I came!" She sighed as she squeezed Akihiko's arm.

Akihiko remained grim, "It's back..."

Lee looked drugged, "Man, I'm blown out from that blunt..."

"It's not the blunt this time..." I muttered, "This is the Dark Hour."

"Dark Hour?" Rio said.

"Alright, is this some kind of joke you're all in on?" Kenji said as he smiled, "Alright Japan, I'm an idiot! Where's the secret camera? Is it there?" He said as he danced wildly, "I'll get you back for this, Rio!"

"We're not in a gameshow, idiot." Yukari said, "This is real..."

"Then... what happened to everyone inside the caskets!?" Quan said frantically.

"Don't worry!" I said, "They're just sleeping."

Minako looked wistfully, "I sure do miss Shadow Time... Gives me an extra hour's sleep."

That revelation nearly knocked me out, "You know about the Dark Hour?"

"Huh... Is that what it's called?" Minako said, "Yeah, I know it. But every time I talk about it, people would assume I was making it up."

Yukari cleared her throat, "Why don't we look outside?"

"Go outside?!" Quan cried, "What are you, nuts? Why go there?!"

Yukari shrugged, "Want to be left alone in a room full of coffins?"

Quan jerked up, "C'mon."

We went out. The weather was cold and unforgiving.

We searched everywhere. There was no one within sight. The Astronomy Tower buzzed lightly.

Yukari wouldn't look at me. Whenever she would, it was either a glare or a dagger-look. When I talked to her, she'd reply curtly or rudely, before giving me the cold shoulder.

I had enough, so I tapped her on the shoulder, "Could I have a word?"

"Oh, okay." Yukari said aloofly.

"Will you walk with me?" I asked.

"O...kay..." Yukari purposely slowed down, and so did I.

We left the group for a while. Instead of heading towards the field, we walked toward the Astronomy Tower.

I was a bit scared. An ambush from anything lurking would not be impossible. In fact, it's the harsh reality here. Anything can jump at you at any moment. Since my Persona might be rusty, or would not work at all, and me unarmed, it would be a death sentence if one appeared.

"What are we going here for?" She asked wearily.

"I don't want to be overheard." I nudged Yukari, "Hey, worried that maybe a shadow will appear, huh?"

She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

That took me aback and I stopped her and confront her.

"Do we have a problem?" I asked seriously, "You've been acting cold and distant."

"Yes," Yukari said, "We do."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yes... Um... I have my period today."

That made me uncomfortable. Talking about female anatomy and understanding it would be harder than trying to understand the Event Horizon theory within an hour before a test. I had a strong feeling she was lying, and it was evident with my raised eyebrow.

"What, you want me to grab my tampon and slap it in your face?!" Yukari snarled.

That snapped me back, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay, I believe you!" I said sheepishly, then I held her close.

She pushed me, "I want to know," she said, scowling at me, "What exactly is going on between you and Minako."

From Yukari's secretive manner, I expected something more serious, stared at her dumbly.

"Something taking me for a ride..." I said as. Hugged her, "Yukari... We really did have a great history together..." I murmured into her ears.

I half-expected her to push me, but instead, she held me closer, "Minato... Let's stay this way, forever..."

I chuckled, "Come on," I said, breaking the embrace, "Let's go before they freak out."

We ran into Quan and Kenji, "Where were you two?!" Kenji cried, "We were worried about you guys!"

"Sorry..." I said, "There were things we needed to... discuss."

"Riiiiiight..." Quan said with a sly smile.

We returned to the main group, some casting awkward eyes at us.

Suddenly, I saw a cloaked figure exiting the Astronomy Tower.

"Alright, here's how we're gonna roll..." I began, "We're gonna split up. Yukari, Pinky, Rio and Fuuka, you two will check at the entrance."

"On it." Yukari nodded as she left with Fuuka.

"Junpei and Lee? You two will check the halls and rooftop." I said.

"No problem!" Junpei said excitedly, "Lee and I are an unstoppable tag-team at this point!"

"Right on, bro." Lee said and they then went off.

"Kenji, Akihiko-san, check out the lobby."

"Sure." Akihiko said.

"Quan, Leah, Minako... Check out the grounds. I'm going solo." I said.

Without waiting for a reply, I walked off and climbed up the Astronomy Tower. The scenery never changed much... Still the same bloody puddles, green slime oozing from the walls, cold winds and caskets strewn within the civilian populace and gloomy fog.

What really baffled me, though, was that the weather patterns stayed the same. Usually, it would only be cloudy or clear skies. But today, it started raining. And it felt like a weaker, watered down version of the Dark Hour.

That was when I saw the cloaked figure staring at me. When I looked at him, he bowed his head and ran away. Breaking off from my train of thoughts, I decided to observe him.

He was walking slowly and I felt as if he wasn't human. Then, he turned around after a circle of shadows, and I mean shadows like the ones we fought (to my surprise), surrounded him. The shadows really stupefied me to a high degree. But the next thing was a shocker. He faced me and absorbed the shadows with his left hand. He then clenched it into a fist and shot a Shadow FireBall at me. Summoning Deus Xiphos and Lucifer's Blade, which I avoided since it's an evil, cursed blade that whittled the life of its user, but I only summoned it since only the true owner can destroy it. I made an X with the two as I defended myself from the explosion. The blast sent me back seven feet as I braced myself. To my utter astonishment, the cloaked figure ran up the wall coming for me. It was a trick of physics with the Dark Hour that we could defy gravity if we had Personas, meaning he was a user as well. After I decided that offense would be a good defense, I ran down the wall too.

I did a classic trick of throwing Lucifer's Blade right at him, because if it touched him, he would be inflicted by a cursed wound.

Tonight turned out to be a night of surprises, since he caught it with his left hand and hurdled after me, undamaged by the curse.

We passed each other, narrowly colliding, him landing on top of the Astronomy Tower, and me on the grounds.

Suddenly, shadows appeared in great number. My head began to hurt, the very same feeling we feel when we summon Personas.

A shadow jumped at me as I waved Deus Xiphos, destroying it.

The cloaked figure jumped down and landed neatly on the grounds. I waved my sword as he waved his. He stood behind me after somersaulting down as the shadows swarmed us. We fended them off, but they were too many.

The shadows would suddenly be absorbed by him again, using the Blade itself like a vacuum.

I looked at him and he slashed an arc horizontally. I dodged it and attacked. After minutes of fighting, I was knocked down. Again, to my bewilderment, he picked up Deus Xiphos. I could hear his hand sizzling, and it smelled like sulfur, but he didn't seemed fazed. I looked at him as he stabbed the ground beside me with my sword. He snickered beneath his hood. Flying into rage, I picked the blade up and started attacking. He was pushed back as he used another shadow fireball to attack, which I deflected with the Holy Sword.

I knocked him down after stealing back Lucifer's Blade. He stood up again.

"Argh! Give up already!" I cried, but I felt the arm that held Lucifer's Blade get heavy. I dropped the sword.

"What the..." I said as I felt my arm getting cursed.

"Heh." He said with a cold, evil voice, "Look who's getting tired."

I felt as if he was an old friend, "No way! I'm totally winning!"

Raising the Blade of Heaven, I bellowed, "Messiah!"

Instantly, my head exploded with pain. An ivory figure of Messiah behind me appeared.

"Morning Star!"

An explosion of Holy light surrounded the area, breaking the Dark Hour spell for a few seconds before it set back in. To my surprise, the Cloaked figure held a ball of light in his hands and absorbed it.

"What the hell...?!"

"You dare use my own spells against me?" The man said with a rattled voice, "You are every bit as arrogant as he was."

"That's not true!" I said with a strange voice.

I felt him smiling under his hood, "So it's true... You really are his incarnate..."

"What?" I cried, "You don't know anything!" I bellowed as I picked up Lucifer's Blade and charged, but he put out his hand and a giant, muscular and powerful shadow appeared behind him. It grabbed me with two giant arms and squeezed me tight, knocking my breath off my lungs and forcing me to drop the swords. The hooded one picked up the Sword, "The Blade of the Demon Lord..." He said in wonder, "This is too powerful, too precious and too good to be yours."

"Get... a... room..." I wheezed while the Guardian squeezed me tighter.

"When the time is ripe, I'll have this." He said and the blade disappeared.

The giant shadow dropped me to the hooded man's feet. After a coughing fit, I managed to look up.

"Why...?!" I hissed, "Why can you be active at the Dark Hour?! And how can you hold the Cursed Blade?!"

He laughed, "Shut up." He scowled under his hood and punted me in the head, knocking me out instantly.

**_A/N: Finished. Please review if you liked it! And feel free to ask, but I will not divulge who the cloaked one is. That is up for speculation._**


	45. Flan Party

**A/N: Hey guys, I'd like to clarify that I never played or heard of Devil Survivor. Any sort of similarities within plot and/or style is purely coincidence.**

* * *

**(Same night)**

**(12/19/10)**

* * *

I had a dream this time.

It was extremely vivid, that I was surprised that no one saw me. In it, I was in a strange, morbid place, that looked like a padded room you might find in an asylum, except it was larger. It was decorated with expensive equipment and there was even a surgical table, an electroshock machine and a chemistry set.

There were two people, who looked like members of some kind of a cult, judging their cloaks. A tall, cloaked man who knocked me out and a frail, weakened looking man sitting in an egg chair, who was cloaked in white and wrapped in a shawl. He looked oddly familiar, even though he was covered up by the hood. The one in black gave him tea.

"That was extremely foolish of you..." The man in white said feebly as he sipped it, "Going out there alone, so close to the Messiah... You realize we cannot afford any mistakes?"

"I was not alone." The one in black said curtly.

"You were most certainly alone tonight." The one in white said quietly, "Which shows your foolishness to the extreme, lurking about the Astronomy Tower with no companions or backups... It's common sense to bring help when faced with a force greater than you."

"Correction," the one in black said, "I had more than a few backups. Five, in fact. One was serving directly under my shadow... Literally. But essentially, I was alone."

"If you call those whelps your backups, especially those you hired as spies, I shudder to think of what would happen if you did need them." The white one hissed.

"Sensei, I think my guardian is more than capable of taking the Messiah out... Especially with the ongoing experiments..."

"How far will you push him, Elder?!" Sensei, the one in white, hissed, "He had already been pushed at his limits, considering that foolish accident you ordained. These experiments would prove his downfall! In his current state, he is no match for the Messiah! You were truly lucky to catch him off-guard and not in his true power! Your Guardian would have eaten the Blade of Heaven..."

"He was quite willing to make a risk, Sensei." Elder insisted, "And I honor it. It was fortunate that he adapted quickly to the side effects..."

"Pure dumb luck!" Sensei spat, "Not worth this entire suicide mission! The Messiah nearly killed you tonight, had he not summoned Lucifer's Blade!" Sensei bellowed, "How else were you to absorb that Morning Star? You were also lucky your Guardian was there! Otherwise, you would've met with our unholy lord in person! And he is not so forgiving of failure to one he entrusted with this important mission!"

"Now, sensei..." Elder chided, "I never needed his help. And the spies informed me about a conversation the Messiah had about a sword... And I learned great information... It seems the Blade of our Lord Lucifer has chosen me."

"Nonsense! I know the Messiah personally, and he is strong." Sensei nodded wistfully, "It would take more than a few notes on swords and a piece of Devil's glass to beat him. He is the real deal." Sensei said seriously.

He knew me personally...? Who else could they be talking about...?

"Devil's glass...?" Elder whispered, almost angrily, "Sensei, I should've killed him, no?" Elder said bitterly, "Had those pests not arrived, I would be glad to-"

"Are you some kind of fool?!" Sensei cried, "You must follow the Prophecy! Even Angels and Demons must abide it! If you did slit his throat, something worse would have happened!"

"I see..." Elder mumbled.

"Forgetting your tomfoolery..." Sensei said with a voice of contempt, "What is going on the Tower?"

"Ah, yes..." The Elder smiled, "It grew dramatically, since I learned to induce the Dark Hour. A culmination of our Lord's trust in me!" He said proudly.

Sensei smiled wryly, as if enjoying a joke at Elder's expense, "Yes, right."

"Indeed. I suppose it would be our base of operations once we defeat the Messiah? My plan is to crucify him, preferably alive, upside down on the summit of the tower. He will be the banner of our army, inspiring the Unholy Horde to assault the Heavenly Host!" Elder said excitedly, "Oh such indignity! The Messiah shall wish he were dead than to be the new banner of our Horde!"

"You speak of such things as if it were frightfully easy, fool." Sensei said coldly, "The Messiah is not some scared peasant farmer to be dispatched like vermin... He is a seasoned veteran and a frightfully mighty foe. To top that off, he is also a Wild Card user. If we do attempt to defeat him, let me assure you... It will not be an easy road. He will not go quietly and he will take more than half of our allies in the attempt."

"Then tell me what to do!" Elder said loudly.

"I am." Sensei said, "First, we need an army. We cannot defeat him by ourselves, especially with your group-"

"My friends are all we need!" Elder insisted.

Sensei smiled, "And that is why I'm the strategist of this movement. I find it touching you call those people 'friends' when to you they're no more than disposable pawns."

Elder looked like he was about to protest, but he didn't, "What must I do, Sensei?"

"First, you must collect the souls of people and convert them into shadows. That must be done tonight, so that by next few months, on the advent of his Death last year, we could destroy him." Sensei said.

"Now?" Elder asked in surprise, "What will I use?"

Sensei sighed, "What do you think? Should we throw shoes at them until they cede their souls to us?"

"Oh... Sorry." Elder said sheepishly.

"Put out your left hand and summon it."

Elder obeyed. Within seconds, a sharp evil sword materialized in his hand.

"Sweet." Elder whispered.

"Now then..." Sensei said with a smile, "Harvest some souls."

I felt cold, bay water hit my face as I woke up.

Everyone was crowded around me, looking as if something had happened.

"He's awake!"

My head hurt. A bump on my right brow throbbed painfully.

"What happened?" I asked, still woozy as Lee picked me up. It was still Dark Hour.

"You tell us!" Quan cried, "It sounded like a battlefield here!"

I was about to make a snarky comeback, but I saw someone with them who wasn't with the group earlier.

Naoto rushed from the Astronomy Tower, looking aghast to see me. She wore a tuxedo.

"Naoto?" I said in surprise.

"Yeah, we found him hiding behind some crates, crying-" Kenji said teasingly.

"I was not crying." Naoto said, but it was obvious she did, "If someone would please explain what on earth is happening, I would be less confused."

"It's a bit of a long story..." I said.

"That's good, because I like long stories." Naoto said with a determined look.

We told her everything about the Dark Hour.

"That is just preposterous!" Naoto cried, "Impossible! You must be joking!"

"We aren't." Yukari said, "This is real."

Naoto looked terrified, "If this is real..." She gave a gasp.

"Anyway, what happened to you?" Minako asked, looking at my bump.

"I was... Attacked." I said.

Yukari came forward and fussed, "Who did it?! If I see him..."

"Don't fuss," I said blandly, "Just some shadow. We need to worry about that Tower."

"The Astronomy Tower?" Junpei said, "I'm no fan of Astronomy, but I like that Tower."

"Let's go in." I said, "Come."

"Don't!" Minako squeaked, "It's probably crawling with those things."

"She's right. I went in and saw some machines. When I came to inspect closer, several of those blobs attacked me." Naoto said, still shuddering.

"What should we do?" Quan asked, "Should we go home?"

Remembering the Elder's words, I said, "We should stay and guard the party goers." I said.

"Great plan." A highborn voice said aloofly.

I turned around, summoning Deus Xiphos quickly.

"Don't be alarmed." Mitsuru said, "I went to the bathroom to powder my nose when it all began... I'm just as surprised as you... So while we are uncertain with it, shall we wait in the ballroom?"

Everyone mumbled in agreement. We made our way to the ballroom. Lee took a few contraband drinks inside as we made a circle and made a fire in a clay stove.

"This feels nice." Fuuka said, "But it feels creepy with all these coffins around."

"Pretend it's Halloween." Lee said as he drank bourbon.

"Lee, is that alcohol?!" Yukari cried, "That's illegal!"

"It ain't alcohol, it's booze!" Lee said in annoyance, "Besides, I'm 18. So be quiet, eh?"

"Normally, I would prohibit the use of alcohol in campus, but if it calms you down, feel free. I'd like some bourbon though..." Mitsuru said.

"Best Directress ever!" Lee cried as he poured Mitsuru a glass.

Yukari bit her tongue and kept her peace.

"So, who wants to have a talk?" Quan said, "This feels like a campout!"

"Pass." Leah said as she took an entire bottle of Jack Daniels, opened it and drank half of it and wiping her mouth with a sleeve.

"Why do you drink so much? Is it because of the taste?" Quan asked curiously.

"Nah. I mainly drink just to forget." Leah said, "I mean, person could only take so much sorrow in her heart without remembering..."

"I'm so forgetful that I almost always don't need a drink." Lee said as he took the bottle and drank it as well.

"Is that so? Well, maybe it's better off that way. Memories are often very painful... To forget may be a blessing!" Junpei said.

"I never knew you were so deep." Kenji said.

Minako came back with a platter that was laden with leche flans, known internationally as caramel flan, but were now a gooey mess in Minako's mouth, "All right... To break the ice, I'mma give the last of the flan to the one with the most saddest life story here."

"Well, it's obviously mine, isn't it?" Quan said, "I mean, I study in a country that ravaged my homeland, yet I keep falling in love with this country... I never had girlfriends since puberty, and I admit I haven't peaked puberty yet... Well, long story short, no one, except Pink would fancy me... Especially if these cheeks of mine get any chubbier, they would."

"That's ridiculous, Quanny... I fancy you." Pink said as she blushed.

"You see, Quan, even though you're suffering from that, it's all in your head. You're well off, getting allowances as high as a monthly rent in a condo... While Leah here has to flog herself silly trying to help out at the seediest boarding house boarders in Japan." Minako said.

"Hey!" Akihiko protested.

"Right." Leah agreed, "And my hair keeps getting wavy and shit... Not to mention I'm getting bleached white staying inside as well... I get sunburn just by walking in the sun, after spending most of the day cleaning after a sweaty gym sock, an O.C.D. kid and a giant slob..."

"Hey!" Akihiko, Junpei and I protested, "Note to self... deduct Leah's... salary..." Akihiko muttered as he scribbled it in a blackbook.

"Not to mention I'm not allowed to smoke in the house... something I enjoy doing..." Leah said sadly, "And it's sad that no one will actually marry me, since my boobs are slowly shrinking, while my ass gets bubblier..."

"I'll marry you." Akihiko said as Leah smiled.

"I get the flan." Kenji said, "Other than the fact that I'm hungry, none of you really knew what it felt like, being dumped by someone who lead you on, someone who said she'd love you, but left you as soon as someone proposed to her." Kenji said.

"That's really nothing." Yukari said, "At least you have someone you can love... I made one stupid mistake and it bites me in the back... I mean, I love him so much, I could barely breathe when I'm with him... Not to mention my childhood was crappy and loveless-"

"You honestly think you're the only person who has a bad childhood...?"

Lee said as he drank another shot, "Huh... I'd like to forget my crappy childhood..." Lee said quietly, "Miserable. My stupid dad left my mom when I was a baby. I never met him, nor do I want to meet him... I mean, what kind of a father would leave his wife and unborn child? Even if I do, he always cheated on my mom and beat her..." Lee said with quiet rage, "Yes, well, my mom and I lived with a string of stepfathers when I was younger... One of them, Ian Bentley, would often beat my mum and me, when I came to defend her... It's really such a pity that he died before I could kill him... I would've enjoyed wringing his filthy neck with my bare hands." Lee said quietly.

Fuuka held his arm. Lee smiled as he took another drink.

"If it's any comfort, mine was not so good." Fuuka said, "My parents always compared me to my relatives... It seriously destroyed my self esteem... But lately, I've decided that, no matter how my parents think about me, only I can choose if I'm inferior or not."

"Because comparing yourself to others is the worst insult you can give to yourself." I said.

"Hmph..." Junpei said sourly, "My dad is an idiot, falling for a telemarketer scam... After that, instead of dealing with it and moving on, he decided to drink himself to kingdom come... He was an idiot. And that passed to me."

"You think you have it hard?" Akihiko said, "Try imagining having your parents die in front of your eyes, and your best friend and little sister promised that you three would be family. Then, your little sister gets killed in a fire. Her body was so... so mangled, that it was a closed casket ceremony... And knowing that, if you were stronger, she would still be alive... And even if you were more powerful than before, that didn't stop your best friend dying in front of your eyes... That would gnaw a man alive..."

"No way." Rio said, "I have 12 brothers, all star athletes... Yes. I'm a sport freak. To the point of fanaticism... You know why?"

"Here we go." Kenji sighed.

"Do you have any idea what my home life was like? Growing up with 12 brothers who are just like me. They were better at me at sports, so I strove to be the best of the best! I wanted to be the best in the world because I was scared of spending the rest of my life behind the shadows of my brothers." Rio cried passionately.

"Attention issues. You couldn't get enough attention when you were a child, so you're trying to make up for it now by being the best. Freüd psychology." Naoto remarked.

"Well, I guess the Detective Prince had his life easy eh? Born in a silver spoon, reading Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew in an easy chair, not a care in life?" Rio said hotly.

"I beg to differ," Naoto said with a high voice, "My childhood was marred by the absence of my parents, who inspired me to be what I wanted to be. And growing up, have you liked something that is dominated by opposite sex? Always being discriminated?"

"Hmph..." Mitsuru said gloomily, "Your worries are but a speck in the problems of the world..."

Yukari narrowed her eyes, "You're outlook is still the same... An only child for 19 years, and your aura is still dark, cynical and gray."

"Well, pardon me for not being as high strung and cheery as you all..." Mitsuru said.

"Is that so?" I mused.

"What do you want from me? You want a teary, banal and cheesy confession about how hard my childhood was? I admit, mine was a load easier than most... I was a rich only child and got anything I wanted... as long as I behaved well." Mitsuru smiled wryly, "And yet still... and didn't get what I wanted... Material possessions were within my grasp, but my father rarely spent time with me, obsessed with atoning his sins... My mother always said I had to lighten up. She was still there for me... until she met her end..."

Junpei smiled slyly, "I dunno... Minato's life seems pretty messed up... Unsuccessful with money, giving it away like it's candies... Broken up with several girls... Died at least once... Was cute, but now he's outgrown it if I must say... And will never hear from girls again once they found out he wore a bunny rabbit pajama."

Minako laughed as well as everyone.

"Okay, well, more flan for me!" I said as I grabbed a fork and plunged it to the plate. Minako moved it and I ended up stabbing the hardwood floor.

"What about me?" Minako said.

"What about you what?" I said.

"I deserve a chance at it, right?" Minako said.

"But you already had a whole plate to yourself!" I pointed out, "But fine, let's see what you have to say."

"Well... I guess you can call my life complicated... My parents were nice, supportive and oddly, quiet... But then... They died on the way to pick me up on practice... After that, I was tossed from relative to relative... One of them even hit me for some reason... They weren't expecting ol' Minako to hit them back! Needless to say, that got me a transfer notice and I was dumped to my grandma... She was the only one who did seem to love me... I was 15 when she suffered a stroke four days from my birthday... A month later, she died and I was sent away to my aunt right now... I never had a boyfriend, I'm in love with a guy I cannever have, nor did I have any friends... Til' I met Minato." She said with a warm smile, "And I'm scared that... If Auntie bites the dust, I'll lose him again... And he's the most important person on my life."

The silence buzzed and hummed in the silent ballroom.

"Bullshit!" Lee shouted.

"Damn!" Minako hissed as I took the plate and inhaled the flan.

"Nice try bud." I said, "Maybe next time."

"Good loss, Minato... But you know..." Minako whispered to me as everyone began to talk again, "I really meant that."

I looked at her as she looked back with a smile.

Suddenly, after a while, the Dark Hour broke as the party resumed. We carried Lee to his dorm, glad we managed to save the partygoers, while we went home and I fell into sleep after bathing.

Little did I know of the true tragedy that happened while we idled by.

* * *

**A/N: Done. Next chap coming soon once my quota has been met. Please review! Ask any questions! The Q/A is becoming obsolete without any questions asked!**


	46. Minato, Prince of Dreams

(12/20/10)

* * *

I had another bad dream.

_I was in the same room. Sensei and The Elder were present, but there was a dark shadow, Guardian, the same one who nearly throttled me to death, that propped him up. Sensei was scowling at Elder._

_"What happened?" He demanded angrily._

_"I... I'm not too sure..." Elder panted, "After... collecting a few souls, I suddenly felt like burning and I collapsed."_

_"It was lucky I found him..." Guardian said with his harsh, raspy voice._

_"I was about to have easy pickings at the ballroom, but it was guarded..." Elder said._

_"Be silent, both you fools!" Sensei shouted, "I know what happened... Were you harvesting at Iwatodai?"_

_Elder nodded, "Yes."_

_"Figures..." Sensei said with a scowl, "The spirit of the Messiah guards the people... If you keep harvesting souls in his domains, you will eventually be incinerated. Iwatodai is under his protection now."_

_"That's...!" Elder cried before collapsing, but Guardian held him, "How... How can I collect now?"_

_"Go along." Sensei said in annoyance, "You may still collect, but only in the nearby cities. Never, ever make that mistake again."_

_Elder bowed his head, "Yes sensei... Come Guardian." He said as he swept away._

* * *

I woke up with a start. After changing into some warm clothes, I went down. Leah cooked some delicious soup as I slurped it loudly. Junpei and Akihiko were slurping it loudly as well. Minako arrived, via Narda since she doesn't get the meaning of privacy, and greeted everyone loudly before taking a bowl and pigging out like we were. Leah looked on at us.

"What?" I said as I took another bowl.

"Oh, sorry..." Junpei said with his mouth full, "Want a bowl?"

"No need." Leah said sadly.

Akihiko raised his eyebrows, "What's the matter with you?"

"Oh, nothing." Leah said with a smile.

"Yeah right." I said, "Spill."

Leah smiled, "Well, I've been wondering... We're like a family right? Akihiko and me as the parents-"

"I like that setup." Akihiko smiled.

"Minato as our son, while Minako's his wife-"

Minako and I blushed furiously.

"And Junpei as the annoying brother who never seems to get a girl." Leah said.

"Hey!" Junpei protested.

"Now what I'm wondering is... Will we still be a family then?" Leah asked.

"Of course we will." Akihiko said, "You been drinking again?"

"No!" Leah said resentfully, "It's just that... my contract is expiring and I may have to move out while you guys find a new house mother..."

"Contract?" Akihiko said confusedly, "We had a contract?"

"Of course we did!" Leah said indignantly, "Here it is!" She showed a piece of paper.

After reading it, Akihiko threw it on the table, "That's not a contract. It's just a piece of paper hastily scribbled by a Parker 1.0 broad."

"Actually, it's a Pilot G-Tech." Junpei said as Leah crumpled it and threw it at him.

"Does that mean I can stay?" Leah said.

"Sure." I said, "No one could do manual labor as well as you do, with crappy pay and inhumane conditions."

Leah smirked, "True... True..."

"S'ides, if you want to know how much I appreciate you, I'll take you out for a ski trip on Christmas..." Akihiko promised.

"Aw, that sounds sweet!" Junpei sighed.

"I wasn't talking to YOU!" Akihiko snapped, "I'm talking to Leah..."

"Ahhh!" Minako said, "I suppose you plan on 'appreciating' her and keeping her 'warm'?" Minako winked as Akihiko struggled to keep his face straight.

"Anyways, what's on the news?" I asked.

"Oh, I forgot to take the paper...wait." Leah said as she went out to grab the paper. We heard a gasp and a loud crash as she rushed back in, "Read it!"

I took it and was immediately stupefied.

**_666 LOCAL RESIDENTS OF NEARBY TOWN SLAUGHTERED! POLICE SUSPECT GANG VIOLENCE_**

**_At dawn today, bodies were found strewn in the city of Aniko, Japan, in a bizarre fashion that left local police authorities baffled._**

**_'We don't know who did this, or more importantly why, but rest assured we will get to the bottom of this,' came the reply of Chief Azuko Uesegi, 43, Chief of the Aniko Defense Force._**

**_The death toll was so great and the bodies were so mutilated, that the streets were literally flowing with blood. The bodies were found to have died in different, unpatterned deaths, some nearly mummified, some strangled to the point that their eyes popped out of their skulls and major arteries have been ruptured, and others mutilated beyond recognition of dental records by slash and stab wounds, by something that seems to be a single edged weapon, like a katana or a nodachi. The only similarities seem to be that the perpetrator carved the number '666' on their foreheads and marked their right arm with a cryptic symbol. If the evidence holds true, the likely suspects would be the Chisai Akuma Clan, a Satanist sect that uses blades as weapons. As to their motives, it remains very unclear._**

**_What is strange is, that some bodies appear normal and healthy, except for the fact they were dead, they seemed perfectly healthy, as if they just laid down and died. All bodies seemed to have at least 21 grams removed from them, as spiritual experts would say, 'The demons of the past have stolen their souls. They had gone back to punish us,', we have no comment yet from the religious sect._**

**_There have been reports at least two attacks in Iwatodai._**

**_"I was walking down the road, eating, when a cloaked man stopped in front of me, holding a sword," recounts Nozomi Suemitsue, 19, "and his friend tripped me. I thought they were gonna mug me, but I realized they meant to actually kill me, when the one with the sword collapsed. His friend picked him up and they left. I was so surprised by it, I wasn't able to eat for five minutes!"_**

**_So far, Iwatodai had not had a single deaths, to reasons unknown._**

**_As I write this down, the bodies of those who had died are either being collected by their loved ones or being burned to prevent disease and buried in a mass grave. The ones responsible will hopefully be found and put to justice. More on this story as it develops._**

"This is horrible!" Minako cried.

I looked grimly at them, "Guys, there's something you need to know..."

"Oh hell no!" Junpei cried, "You did this!"

That statement was so ridiculous, I ignored it.

"Junpei, you idiot, he was with us the entire night!" Minako cried.

"Seriously, do you ever think before you talk?" Akihiko said to Junpei, "Go on, Minato."

I told them of the dreams I've been having.

"That can't be good... That can't be good at all..." Leah muttered.

"This isn't coincidence... I think you might have developed some kind of... connection with Elder." Akihiko said.

"Connection?" I said in confusion.

"Oh, uh, yes, advanced Theology and mythology... Oftentimes, two opposite, but equal forces are connected whenever they clash. Since theoretically, you own Lucifer's Blade, you can see into the minds of those who are using it, and thus, you can see what his intents are. But I feel that you can only see what happens if he's about to do something." Akihiko said.

That really surprised me.

"So, what, that Elder dude could see into Minato's mind as well?" Minako said casually.

That shocked me even more.

"Whoa, I was just kidding!" Minako said, "Don't take it seriously, eh!?"

"Anyway, remember, it does not do well to dwell upon dreams. Look what happened to Twilight!" Junpei cried.

"You have a point there." Akihiko said, "Maybe I'm wrong."

"Maybe he's right. And maybe that Elder person is delving into your mind, right now?" Minako said.

"Gee, thanks, dude..." I mumbled.

"Whatever. You got five hundred yen? I need to borrow-" Minako trailed off as my head began to hurt.

Suddenly, I laughed loudly, shrilly and uncontrollably.

Everyone was looking at me as if I had gone crazy.

"I think I know..." Leah said, "Elder-dude prolly feels happy today, so you felt it as well."

I nodded. Deciding to check this new phenomenon, I hit the couch and I dozed off.

_I was transported into the same room. Once again, there were only two people; Sensei and Elder._

_"You have done well, Elder... Well enough, I suppose." Sensei mused._

_"'Well enough'?!" Elder bellowed, "I destroyed 666 souls last night and sealed them in my sword!"_

_Sensei smiled, "It's not your sword. It's still the Messiah's."_

_Elder growled, "How...? How could it still be his?!"_

_"Because the sword is still loyal to him." Sensei said simply._

_"To a weakling like him?!" Elder said furiously._

_"He is not a weakling!" Sensei snapped, "The blade remembers the old power of the Messiah, his power that can conquer Death itself! And it is that same weakling who is delving into your mind as we speak!"_

_I turned glacial. He knew...?!_

_"What...?" Elder whispered, "He... He can do that?"_

_"Your arrogance and pride never fails to amuse me." Sensei said dryly._

_"I... I seriously did not think about that... Why, right now, I'm having a headache... Is there any way I could do the same?"_

_"Of course not!" Sensei shouted, "He can delve into your mind because you are weak-willed, powerless and most of all, a being of shadow. If you even dare do that to him, you would be incinerated!"_

_Elder recoiled, "I didn't realize that-"_

_"Of course you didn't." Sensei dismissed, "You've let a bit of power muddle your brainless head. Let me do the thinking. And as for your harvesting-"_

_Elder puffed up with pride._

_"Pathetic!" Sensei cried as Elder deflated, "You caused a bloodbath for a special covert mission! It's touching you branded them, but you should wait until after the Messiah has died."_

_"It was not my fault..." Elder said weakly, "Guardian got excited and tried out his new powers... It was not my fault..."_

_"Excuses, excuses..." Sensei barked, "Next time, do it right and quietly. I expect the media is having a field day of the shitstorm you caused. Next time, do it right."_

_"Yes, Sensei."_

I woke up with a start.

"It's true..." I panted as I wiped the sweat off my brow. Then, I got a call from Yukari. Fearing someone had been attacked, I picked it up, "Hello?!"

"Hey Minato." Yukari said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"What happened? Are you okay?!" I cried.

"No... Not really..." She said sadly.

"Wh-What happened?" I asked briskly.

"Well, my mum contracted the dengue fever and needs me. Immidiate family only, so I can't spend Christmas with you guys..."

I had a feeling that she wanted to block out the 'guys' part, "Well... Blood is thicker than water, right?

"Yeah, please give me a present or something when I come back." Yukari said, "I need to leave now. D'you think you can pick me up?"

"Oh, sure, let me call Mina-"

"Just you," Yukari said.

I was slightly startled, "Okay, sure." I said.

"Thanks." She said sadly.

I borrowed the Outrider and drove it to Yukari's.

"Hey." She breathed as I smiled. Then, I took her luggage and placed it on the back and got in the car.

"So... Where exactly is your mother?" I asked.

"Tokyo. The poor thing's been puking blood." Yukari said, "Mind, she has my little sister to take care of."

"Oh?" I said in surprise, "You have a little sister? Congrats."

"Yes, she was born last month or so. I only learned it yesterday though, since my mom got sick." Yukari said sadly.

"What's her name?" I asked.

Yukari laughed, "Hikari."

I laughed too, "I guess your mom loves you."

"I know." She smiled.

"Well, I hope your mom recovers." I said, "And Yukari? Be strong. You know we all love you."

She smiled, "That means a lot to me." She got out as I took her luggage and placed it on a cart.

"Goodbye," she said as she kissed me on the cheek. I did the same thing and accidentally lipped her.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry!" I mumbled sheepishly.

"...can you do it again?" She asked hopefully.

I laughed as I fixed her hair, "Yukari, you know that what we had was great, and I'll treasure it forever, but we can't go back."

She pouted, "What if my plane goes down and that was the last thing you said to me?"

"Yukari, you are just morbid." I said with disdain, "Alright, pucker up..." And after looking around and with great difficulty, I kissed her.

"Thanks." She smiled and left, "Oh, Merry Christmas!"

I waved and went back. I felt guilty about it, but Minako did have Prince Charming, who is better than me, I think.

I went back home to find Minako sitting by the front steps.

"Hey, there you are!" She cried as she strode forward, "Listen, uh..." She fidgeted, "Well, uh... So, Christmas huh? It's pretty close..."

I nodded, "Yeah?"

"So... Um... Oh, do I have to spell it out?!" She cried, "Want to... get together on that night? Just you and me?" She blushed red.

At that moment, my life was complete, but I wanted to look as if I wasn't interested, "What about Prince?"

"Oh, him?" She said with distaste, "Not on Christmas. I'd rather be with the most important man in my life." She said with a wink.

I felt like flying to the sky, "Yes. I accept."

"Yay!" She cried as she hugged me, then she kissed me in the cheek, "Thanks Minato." Before going inside her house.

I sighed contentedly. And after having a talk with Junpei about Marvel comics, to which he put a very reasonable argument about Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, I hit the bad and for some great reason, I slept without dreams.

**_A/N: the Christmas scene is coming! I'd like to make a kind request to the 'read-and-runners' to please review, even if you have nothing to say about it. I enjoy reviews and they make writing worthwhile. So, again, it would be nice if you guys would review, even if it's short._**

**_Oh, yes, Christmas chapter will be coming. Thanks to an advice from a friend, I have decided to withhold it until I get enough reviews, say 15 or so. Have a nice day!_**

**_Q/A:_**

_Hoshi no Ookamiden 217 6/26/13 . chapter 45_

_Whoo! More. _

_I don't have that much to say, but nice chapter. Setting up the suspense and going through some drama is always good. And dude, you got me hungry for leche flan right now. Goddammit. In my humble opinion leche flan is one of the best deserts ever. XD Getting off topic, but I'll catch the next chapter for sure._

_Keep it up!_

_**Yep, Leche Flan is my favorite too. I missed eating it during my stay in the Philippines, as well as dinuguan and balut, which aren't bad as foreigners make it.**_

_ ThePersonaficationOfNight 6/26/13 . chapter 45_

_Okay well that was epic...emotional plus a bit of info I wonder who's the one who knows Minato personally. The little development that happened in the end was sweet. Bdw just a question blame it on my short term memory but does everyone know Minato died once?_

_**It will be revealed soon. And, yes, they do know, due to the fact that they explain the D.H.**_

_ KazuyaYamura 6/26/13 . chapter 45_

_Okay. I have two questions, is this story arc going to be long? And is it going to have a major impact on Minato and Minako's relationship?_

_And I can't believe that you've never played Devil Survivor! Whenever you feel like you've got time to kill, try it. If you liked Persona or any other SMT Game, I doubt you'll hate it._

_Good job describing the dream, 'cause I could really picture it and I kinda have an idea of what's going on. And I think that the sad childhood stories is something that everyone has in common in the Persona Series. (except Kenji, he kinda deserved it when he didn't realise that Ms. Kanou was using him) That small MinaxMina moment was perfectly timed! Although, I can't help but wonder what's coming next..._

_Can't wait for the next chapter!_

_**Well, it will be long, but it will be irragular. It will evolve into something MUCH bigger than it seems, much like Nathan's evilness from DoS. And it will impact their relationship like a meteor.**_

_**Well, I've heard of it from friends, but I never ask what the console is. I'm pretty sure it's like Devil Summoner (great game) and I will try it if I can. I've been curious about it myself!**_

_**Thanks. I usually try to put myself in Minato's feet. And some of the dreams scenes are what I would imagine when I have lucid dreams.**_

_**Yeah, I thought of the MinaxMina scene at the last moment :P**_

_ 13TheAce 6/26/13 . chapter 45_

_Why do dreams have to suck so much in this series? Interesting dyanmic between the Elder and the Sensei. I have guess of who they are. I always liked the background stories for the characters. But of course, you can't make it a party without Jack Daniels! *nudge* ;) Why does there have to be a tragedy so soon? Can't we wait a bit? Oh wait, that defies video game logic..._

_**You know who they are, huh? Keep it a secret! Hahaha, perception!**_

_**Making backgrounds is fun! Also, you'll wait a bit longer for it to blow out into a total tragedy.**_

_Proud Pinoy 6/27/13 . chapter 45_

_I'm glad you implemented the leche flan. Im proud to be pinoy._

_Also, loving the story so far. In my opinion, Lees life is the saddest, followeded by akihikos. I also find Rio and Mitsurus to be normal occurences, but still sad._

_I wonder... are you pinoy?_

_**Thanks. Love that 'zert. Yes, well, Lee leads a pretty sad life.**_

_**Yes, I am. Half of it, at least.**_

_ Radaketor 6/27/13 . chapter 45_

_Does this mean that The Dark Hour will come back every night?_

_I was kind of surprised to see Lee has almost the same backstory as me, except for the beating,_

_**Not every night. The Elder controls the Dark Hour, so he decides. Also, my backstory is same as Lee's too.**_


	47. The Three Kings

**_(12/24/10)_**

**_Monday..._**

* * *

The days became faster as the nights grew longer. The month grew older while the minutes became faster... The soft snow piled on our front lawn, while the pool Leah made froze over, allowing the us to skate over it. The sky was cloaked with a grey overcast that made me feel oddly cheerful. The cold air invigorated my entire body with every breath I took. I was more of a winter person, admittedly, and Canada would be my first choice if I ever worked abroad. Canada, Norway or any other frozen country.

Junpei and I got to work, since Leah and Akihiko left a few days ago on a ski trip. After shedding 5 pounds piling up snow, we went back in.

I made some sherbet lemons with snow as Junpei and I chillaxed in the living room.

"Phew... I'm tired..." Junpei panted, "Times like these are when I miss Leah the most."

"Mind you, she's used to doing that in the army... Could probably beat you, me and Senpai at it combined." I said as I drank the sherbet.

"Yeah, and it's pretty lonely without them... Cooking's hard too, and washing the plates is even harder!" Junpei cried, "And the house seems... Too big... Where is Minako anyway? She'd usually be here raiding out fridge by now..."

"She's finishing work." I said simply.

"Work? I didn't know she could work... The only time you could use Minako and the word 'work' is if there's a 'doesn't' in between!"

I laughed at that, "Don't be mean, dude, they're really working..."

"Work?! Who in their right mind would work today!?" Junpei cried, "Lee and the guys said the same thing about their girls too!"

"Let's invite them over?" I offered.

"Sure." Junpei agreed as he picked up the phone and dialled their numbers.

The guys went over to the house in a few moments, since their girls were working at Pink's. We had explained that Akihiko and Leah left for a ski trip, with Leah acting as Akihiko's bodyguard, but all just a ruse. They knew she and Akihiko had a thing going on.

Lee hung his black leather jacket with Kenji's Parka and Quan's red windbreaker. All wore gloves and boots.

"Hey, do you guys have a bathroom?" Lee asked as soon as he entered.

"No, we dig a hole and shit outside." I said dryly.

"Geez, sorry!" Lee apologized as he entered the bathroom after I pointed it out,

"Too bad the girls are busy..." Junpei muttered, "Especially Chidori... Sure, she makes time for me, but always busy..."

"Shut up bro, you're not the only cat with the problems..." Lee said bitterly from the toilet.

"Yeah... Rio and the other's are working at Le Pinque..." Kenji said, "And it's Rio and my first time as a couple to celebrate Christmas together."

"Ditto for me." Lee said as he washed up..

"Me too." I said. The opportunity to ask Minako to be my girl was ripe. With Yukari out of town, this would work well to my advantage. Though it did feel somewhat unethical.

"Idea!" Quan lit up, "Why don't we head to the cafe?"

"Sounds great, Wendita!" Lee jeered as he zipped his pants, "Maybe you can serve us some hot coffee, you little fairy fruitcake!"

"Call me that again, seme, and I'll tell Fuuka about Wendy." Quan said with wrath.

"You wouldn't dare." Lee challenged, "You ain't got any balls between your legs, pussy!"

"Yeah, but I got a pretty big mouth!" Quan shot back, "You'd know." He made the same tongue motions Lee did and a gagging sound as the boys and I howled with laughter.

"Aw, okay, okay!" Lee said in defeat, "You win, let's go... And please don't tell..."

I grabbed an arctic camo jacket and Junpei grabbed his fur lined brown leather jacket as well.

"Oh, I almost forgot..." I said as I picked up a box, "Senpai bought one too many ski-masks. Let's wear em."

We each got one. After traversing the icy land, we arrived at Le Pinque. We entered there with a dramatic sweep.

"Welcome to-" Fuuka said, before dropping her plate and taking cover, "Terrorists!"

"Terrorists?! Where?!" Lee said, looking everywhere. He even lifted a potted bonsai plant to see if any were hiding there, "Which kind? Al-Qaeda? Abu-Sayyaf? NPA? KKK? V.C.? Neo-Nazis? Ultranationalists?!"

Minako seized a chair and flung it to Lee as he went down in a heap.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! It's us!" I cried, revealing my face to Minako.

"You idiots! What's the big idea?!" She cried.

"None! Can't anyone wear a ski mask without having chairs flung at them-" Junpei began, but was tackled by Naoto and was immediately cuffed. That surprised all of us.

"You have the RIGHT to remain silent! Anything you say can, and WILL be used against you in the court of law! You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney, then one will be provided for you! Do you understand these rights given to you?!"

"Naoto... It's me..." Junpei croaked.

After Naoto released Junpei, she regarded him sternly, "You boys have been acting very dishonorable."

"If you guys keep being naughty, Santa won't give you anything tonight!" P!nky said while waving a finger.

"Pinky, you still believe in Santa?!" Lee cried, but Quan almost shoved his hand in Lee's mouth. Thankfully, Pinky didn't hear it.

Naoto sipped coffee quietly on the corner, reading a case file.

"Five Frappes." I ordered.

"Junpei, you looked like a terrorist..." Lee mumbled, "It's your fault..."

"Not it isn't! Don't blame me, blame yourself! You're the one whp looks like friggin' corsair!" Junpei shot back. They began cursing each other with colorful words.

Minako and the girls went to us. After servicing us, they looked on at us expectantly.

"What?" Lee said annoyedly, nursing a bruise, "Oh, these taste good. Now scram."

"You boys free today?" Pinky asked.

We looked at each other and smiled, "Yep! We're all yours! We have nothing going on today!"

"Great!" Pinky squealed, "Daddy, these guys are free!"

A towering, hulking figure approached us and placed a giant paw at Lee's shoulder.

"You can do part time work." He growled.

"Y-Yes!" Lee cried, "Whoa, look at that hand! It's as big as a baseball glove!" He exclaimed as he gazed at his hand.

"Our family usually holds a special cake sale every Christmas, but we're low on help. I asked Quanny to help." Pink said as she handed us several uniforms.

"Traitor..." We muttered to Quan as he shrugged innocently.

"Oh boy! We're all gonna be together until six! Let's work hard!" Minako said passionately.

Maybe this won't be as bad as it sounded...?

I wore an elf costume with a holly design. Naoto seemed amused, until she was handed one as well. Grudgingly, she wore it too.

"It's too big for me!" Naoto protested. We laughed at it. What kind of person is too small for an elf costume?! Junpei then speculated if Naoto was really a girl (Naoto looking shocked) or an elf (Naoto looking plain annoyed).

Junpei wore a Santa costume as he served customers with a sack. Kenji wore a Santa costume as well Quan wore a raindeer costume, as did Lee.

"Like the uniform." Lee remarked, "But why is this wet?" He said, pointing to the red nose on his nose.

"Oh, the guy who wore it called in sick today. Caught the flu... Sneezed like a hurricane, he did." Pinky's father said as Lee flicked the red nose off his face.

I was prepared to go, when Minako went near me. So near, I could smell her perfume, which smelled like wildberries in Autumn, "Use this..." She gave me a pair of pocket hand warmers.

Pinky led Lee Naoto and I outside the store, in the kiosk filled with cakes. We sat there in the chilling cold. Lee warmed himself up by breathing on his hands.

"Damn... I'm freezing my tits off." Lee shuddered, "Why does Junpei, Quan, Kenji and the girls get to stay inside, toasty warm while we turn into icicles in this blasted winter?!" He said while his teeth chattered.

"It's... very chilly..." Naoto shivered.

"Yeah, I guess it's a bit cold..." I said, stuffing my hands inside my jacket.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to have any handwarmers there, eh buddy?" Lee asked.

"Nope." I lied.

"Bummer..." Lee said dejectedly.

A few customers passed by, buying several cakes. Then, an entire horde bought more, until we were completely sold out.

"Haha! At this rate, we'll be all sold out and enjoying some coffee later!" Lee said triumphantly while he counted the money.

Then, Quan, Junpei and Kenji went out and stacked several newly baked boxes of cake on the kiosk.

"What the hell is this?!" Lee demanded.

"More boxes. My idea." Junpei said with a wink, "Seeing as you guys sold out so fast, I said it might be more economical if you guys sold the rest."

"Oh man, you are definitely asking a fist up your stupid face!" Lee hissed, "Better get back in, boy, before I bury you three here!"

They went back inside.

"Oh boy..." Lee shivered.

"Want a hug?" I asked.

"Thanks, a hug would be great." Lee said as he rubbed his hands.

"Let me call Quan then..." I said with a smile. Naoto raised an eyebrow.

Lee gave me an annoyed look, "You're such a jerk, man... Must you always bring that up!?"

I shrugged. Then, a youth with silver hair and a stringed instrument stopped by. From the look of him and his mismatched and hipster clothes, he probably was a musician. He had a sad smile, and his skillful fingers were tuning his guitars.

"Hello sir! Would you fancy a cake?" Lee asked sweetly.

He nodded and looked at nectar and honey cake.

"Good choice, Sir! 100% nectar from roses and honey imported from honey farms in Greece!" I said with a convincing voice.

"How much for a box?" He asked with the most saddest voice ever.

"3,000 yen, sir! Would you like one?" Lee said.

"3,000...?" The musician whistled, "I'm afraid I cannot afford it... But I wouldn't want my Euri to be the only girl not to have a cake... Poor as I am, I'd do anything for her to eat just a tiny slice."

"Find 3,000 yen then." Lee said frostily, "We're running a business, not a charity service."

"Would I interest you fine gentlemen and lady with a song?" He asked sadly, pulling a strange, gold harp from his back. On closer look, it was a lyre.

Naoto gasped. So did I. This stranger was more than meets the eye.

Lee was a bit more callous, "Oh boy..." Lee sighed, "Vamoose! Get! We don't take buskers for cakes, buddy!"

"But I must have this. This is my Christmas with my Euri and I'd like to have some cake with my beloved wife. I shall make you a ballad in exchange for-"

"How 'bout I give you a knuckle sandwich instead, buddy? We're freezing out here and I ain't in a good mood!" Lee cried.

"We'd love to hear it, my good man." Naoto said, elbowing Lee.

"Yeah, I'd like some music." I said.

"What?!"

The man smiled, "Great."

He plucked on his lyre and sang a heartful lament in a foreign language, but I could understand bits of it, and suddenly, we were transfixed. Everything seemed to freeze in time, as if the universe stopped just to listen to him. The rocks moved and the frost melted slightly. It felt so warm, that even Lee shed his jacket.

When he finally stopped, he asked for his cakes.

"I'll admit, that was good... but still, 3,000 yen." Lee demanded.

"But I sang you a song." The man said defensively.

"No money, no honey-cake." Lee said coldly.

The man turned around in defeat. I siezed a cake and ran after him.

"Hey!" Lee shouted. I turned to the alley the man passed.

"Wait!" I cried while the man turned around. His face notably brightened up.

"Here. On me." I said with a smile, handing the cake to him. He accepted it.

"I thank you. Eurydice and I shall eat good tonight." He bowed, "Pity where she's at though..."

"Eurydice...?" I said in a low voice.

"Yes, my wife..." He said, "You are a noble soul, Minato." He said.

"How do you know my name?" I asked as he smiled.

"That does not matter. Thanks for the cake, Prince of Dreams..." He said, and stopped again, "Word from the wise, when in a relationship, never, EVER look back... I did that once and it was not good." He said and left.

Blinking, I went back.

"Minato, you're such a sucker." Lee sighed.

A few more people bought some cakes. Again, Junpei brought another stack of cakes as Lee punched him in the face, "I spit at your grave!"

"Lee, that's not very nice." Naoto chided as Lee sat down in annoyance.

Then, we felt scared. There was an evil looking man approaching. He was thin, sallow skinned with yellow, uneven teeth. He wore a black robe that made him look like a black raven. His jet black, shoulder length, greasy hair flew in the winter air. His lips were curled as his black eyes bored through us. Upon closer look, his pitch black eyes seemed dead. He looked like a criminal, a career criminal.

Lee was under the stall, getting warm.

"Bad guy at twelve O'clock..." I muttered.

"What?" Lee said.

"Tall, robed in black and scary." Naoto said.

"Dudes, that is profiling and that's unfair..." He went up, "Okay, now THAT is a bad guy! THAT IS A BAD GUY!" Lee whispered furiously, "He looks like Jack the-goddamn-Ripper!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Naoto dismissed, "Jack the Ripper has been dead for more than a century."

"Okay... Maybe he's the hash-slinging-slasher or maybe the Tattletale strangler..." Lee muttered.

Naoto twitched.

"Hey, that was a joke..." Lee said with a frightened voice.

He smiled. Naoto, Lee and I recoiled.

"You guys sellin'?" He growled.

"Oh, yeah..." I said.

He grabbed Lee by the collar, "If you guys really ARE selling this... And expecting me to PAY for it, there's only one thing I have to say..." He growled menacingly.

"Yeah?!" Lee growled back, trying to be fearless, but he was shaking.

"How much for a box?" He asked.

"3,000 yen." Lee managed to say.

"I'll have one." He said as he took a box.

"Thank you, sir!" Lee sad as the man walked away, "See? He's not as bad as you think!"

"Probably explains why he forgot to pay." I said mirthlessly.

"What!?" Lee exclaimed.

"Yeah, he didn't pay."

"Oh, man, this is why we can't do business in the ghetto!" Lee bemoaned, "After him!" Lee cried.

We ran after the thief, who was fleeing by the back alleys. Surprisingly, Naoto kept up with us, even Lee was puffing and sweating.

We managed to corner him on a back alley.

"You ain't got nowhere to run!" Lee cried, "So give up so we can stomp your guts out!"

"D-Don't move! I'm armed!" He cried, and aimed a pistol at us, then dropped a christmas ham and a large Edam cheese, known to some as Quęso de Bola, "Oh shit! You, pick that up!" He barked at me.

"You hungry, dude?" I asked while picking the foodstuffs from the floor.

"Do I look hungry?! Get your pretty boy ass over there!" he snaps, "Well, maybe a little," he admitted, "But hands up!"

"That's not a real gun." Lee said confidently.

"I do! I'll blast you!" The man threatens, "You don't think I'm packing heat?!"

"Yeah, come on, the barrel tip is colored red!" Lee said in exasperation.

"I'll still shoot you!"

"Shoot me then, tough guy!" Lee challenged, "I ain't scared of Death! Death is scared of ME!"

The man flinched, "I'll shoot you..."

"Mother-" Lee was about to curse.

"Lee, no!" I said, "C'mon Lee!"

"Damn it all!" The man cursed, "All I wanted was a Christmas feast! It's Christmas for crying out loud! Can't a poor man celebrate the birth of Christ?!"

I frowned at Lee, who shook his head.

"Everyone deserves a Christmas." I said quietly, "Take it... It's yours."

Lee sighed as he left with Naoto.

The man smiled, "Tough titty, that kid... His mother was the same too..." He muttered, "Anyway, thanks for the kindness, kid. The reason of Christmas is to show goodwill and kindness to others. You have performed admirably. Though a bit too clichéd. Too movie-ish."

I nodded.

"Oh yeah..." He muttered, "Happy Birthday, my Lord." He said with a Deathly voice, then, he turned to a corner and literally disappeared in the shadows.

But today wasn't my birthday...

Thinking it must be the ice fuddling my head, I went back.

Lee was still fuming about that guy.

Then, a child, a really innocent looking child came to the kiosk. He was very pale, had the same hair I did, same wise, soulful eyes, with bandaged wrists and seemed as if the world's problems laid upon his shoulders. Come to think of it, he did look like me, only he had snowy white hair.

"Welcome!" The three of us said.

"Excuse me... One please." The child asked sweetly. I packaged the cake and gave it to him.

"3,000 yen." I said.

He smiled as he handed it to me. Three crisp 3,000 yen notes.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" I cried.

"Finally, someone who actually paid!" Lee cried.

The child went happily along, then he tripped on the icy pavement. He was unhurt, but the cake was ruined, now a splatter of chiffon layers and icing and sliced strawberries on the glacial sidewalk.

He began to sob.

"Tough nut, kid. Welcome to the real world!" Lee said, placing the money on the tin.

"Shut up, Lee." I said, then looked back at the kid.

Well, it was only 3,000 yen... I took my wallet, and realized I left it at home. I decided to deduct it from my paycheck.

I took a cake and placed it in a box.

"You can't be serious!" Lee cried, "Are you trying to compete with Father Christmas or something?!"

Ignoring Lee, I knelt by the child, "Here, take it." I said.

"B-But what about the money?" The child whimpered, tears still streaming his face.

"Nah, forget it." I said as I ruffled his soft hair, "Merry Christmas, Kid, and watch your step!" I added with a smile.

"Thank you, Mister!" He smiled and walked slowly, and turned back, his grey eyes piercing on me. I looked at Lee and Naoto, who seemed suspended in time. Actually, it seemed as if time stood absolutely still. The snowflakes even stopped. The child moved, however. And his voice didn't sound so carefree and innocent anymore. Instead, it spunded determined, wise and Kingly.

"You have shown true generosity and moral fiber. This will treat you thus well upon your future, Child of the Fool Arcana, and show to be your guiding light, which shall shine still-brighter in the darkness... May you ever be guided by it, even when all other lights go out." He said with a strange voice, "Though I predict your immediate future to be dark indeed, be fearless in Death and it shall be brighter than the Sun. You shall have a prophecy..."

I nodded dumbly.

_"Real friends shall enjoy a moment of rest,_

_Before suffering The Elder's test,_

_True love and friendship shall fight,_

_One shall succeed the other, while the latter remain a blight,_

_One known boon shall be the bane,_

_While the victor of the fight shall reign,_

_Three shall become two and continue their love so rare,_

_While one shall destroy their love affair,_

_Three friends thought true to one shall renege,_

_The one betrayed will break his leg,_

_Evil incarnate shall rise and flesh he will rend,_

_While upon the Savior's blade we shall depend, _

_The blood of the lamb shall strengthen the blade,_

_Upon doing that, he shall save the maid,_

_He shall be slain and sent to Heaven's gate,_

_But doing so, his future might dissipate,_

_A young Devil on the warpath,_

_And when he's finished, it's going to be a bloodbath,_

_Of people dying in vain,_

_A severed arm from a shadow fell,_

_The Elder will claim his throne,_

_While the Messiah shall walk alone."_

He smiled and walked away. As he did, his form grew taller, until his bandages fell off, revealing two hole scars. He turned back, with his red eyes and smiled.

I blinked as I looked at the two.

"Well, let's clear up." Lee said as Naoto began counting the money.

We went inside and enjoyed some tea. Then, a guy in his late teens with flaming auburn hair and wore a biker vest and leather cowboy riding pants, entered the store. He looked like the type who was about to rob the place. Accompanying him was a noble French-looking girl. She looked so pretty, so well poised. But she exuded the air of a person who felt it beneath her to be in our presence.

"Ma, Pa! We're home!" He said loudly with a thug accent, "The Prodigal son returns!"

"Hwoarang-oppa!" Pinky squealed as she hugged the young man. Pinky then glared at his beautiful companion with extreme disdain, "Lili."

Hwoarang cuffed Pinky.

"Sigh... Lili-eonni." She grumbled.

"Hey Pink-yeodongsaeng." Lili said smugly. Pinky rolled her eyes.

"Hey sis." Hwoarang said as he hugged Pinky. Pinky squealed as she hugged him too.

After seeing that the elegant lady had a seat, he strode to a chair and kicked his snow boots off his feet.

"Who are you clowns?" He said as he looked at us head to toe.

"Hwoarang, don't be so rude." The lady said.

"Ah, get off, Lili, I own the place, I have a say on the matter!" The guy, apparently named Hworang, said annoyedly.

"My name is-" Quan began nervously.

"I already know who you are, wimp!" Hwoarang snapped, "You're that nerd datin' my sis. Lemme tell you something..."

He glared at Quan, who swallowed nervously, "One, get a job. You'll spend every single yen on dates. Two, understand that I don't like you. Nor will anything you try to do will work. Three, I'm everywhere. I got eyes on the sky and on the street. Four, if you hurt her, I'll hurt you. And believe me, I do that for fun, but for you, I'll cut your heart out and watch you bleed. Five, be home an hour early. Not a second after. I got a Mac-11 upstairs and it's locked, loaded and I'll be hunting your punk ass down. Six, get a lawyer. You're gonna need a good one. Seven, if you lie to me, I'll find out and beat the truth outta ya until ya squeal. Eight, she's my princess, not your conquest. Understand that or I'll beat you up. Nine, I don't mind going back to jail. When I go out, I'll blow your house up and I won't leave you a window to jump out of. Ten, whatever you do to her, I'll do to you. You know what I mean. Also, get your punk ass outta your parents house!" Hwoarang said harshly.

"I-I'm 17!" Quan said.

"Motherfucker, you at least 30." Hwoarang said with a sneer.

Quan blushed as he steered clear of him.

Then, Minato came towards me, "Are you ready for tonight?"

I nodded, "Yes."

She smiled, "That's good... Because it's gonna be a night to remember." She said as she slapped my butt.

* * *

**_A/N: Finished again. I'm pretty glad my quota was met. Again, same deal if you want next chapter to be out. 15 reviews But more would be welcome! I truly enjoy and appreciate new reviewers as well. It doesn't even have to be a perfect review. Consistency is better than perfection_**

**_Q/A:_**

**_ Water Dragon Slayer Kaijeno: Hey Kai. No, no apathy syndrome. You know, eh? Let's keepit at that, and it's Cipher now, dude._**

**_ Hoshi no Ookamiden: Well, it is delish._**

**_Thanks. You will have to wonder for some time though before you kow who they are._**

**_Really? Huh, I thought I was doing it wrong..._**

**_Yeah, the Half Blood Cipher. xD_**

**_ ThePersonaficationOfNight: Thanks dude. Thought of it at the very last moment. Yep, I try to keep Junpei the same, but I guess it spilled._**

**_ RiverTear980: Why thank you very much! I hate those kinds of OC's as well, so I try to make the, seem a bit more of a supportive role. Especially those authors who make themselves OC's and make themselves the heroes as well._**

**_Gee, it really did brighten my day, thanks!_**

**_Hopefully you'll review again!_**

**_ ReachingOutFES: Thought of it at the last second as well xD. Don't worry, it won't include any smut. Or will it?_**

**_ Radaketor: I will, don't worry. It's a part of the arc._**

**_Maybe... I'm figuring it out still._**

**_Guest 6/29/13: Uh... Thanks._**

**_Guest For Now 6/29/13: Thank you! Hope you will like it!_**


	48. A Very Snowy Christmas Eve

**_A/N: well, this chapter is strictly MinaxMina, except with a minor appearance of Junpei. But worry not, since no cockblocking will occur._**

* * *

**_(12/24/13)_**

**_Christmas evening..._**

After bidding the guys goodbye, Minako and I walked together on the way home.

The snow fell softly as the winds made tiny whirlwinds, blowing snowflakes, leaves and cold air mixed together.

"So, uh..." Minako began, twiddling her fingers, "I saw what you did for that child..."

I scratched my head, "Is that so?"

"Yeah..." She admitted and hugged my arm, "And I'm pretty glad I'm friends with a kind guy like you... As well as handsome too..." And I heard her mutter something about scoring as well.

I smiled, "Well, I guess that's exactly the kind of guy I am." I said proudly.

"Hahaha, you're so full of yourself, you know?" Minako chimed, "But that's one of the few reasons why I like you..." She panicked, "As a friend!"

I sighed, "Yeah, I guess."

"Wanna go home or should we walk around?" She asked.

"Why don't we look at the lights at Junes?" I offered, "At this time, we could stare at it until our eyes bleed."

She winced, "Uh... Not that far, but let's go." She said.

We walked together towards Junes. The lights were indescribably beautiful. The palm trees that lined the avenue were decorated with pretty Christmas lights of green, red and several other colors. The nativity sets were life-sized and terribly life-like, and intricately made by skilled artisans. A Christmas tree stood in the storefront of Junes. There were angels, reindeer and on the top was a realistic looking star.

"It's so pretty..." Minako sighed while leaning beside me.

"I heard a German designer modelled and coordinated this." I said, "Shall we have a seat?" I offered.

"Okay." Minako agreed as we sat down on the chairs.

We stared at the frosty scenery. Minako laid her sweet-smelling head on my shoulder.

"You know, we could be mistaken for a couple..." I said.

"I really wouldn't mind that..." She said quietly as she held my hand.

I felt like melting into a puddle of goo. She looked so beautiful in Winter, that I forgot to breathe for a moment.

"So, uh, Minako..." I mumbled, "Y-Ya got a boyfriend or something?" I said so awkwardly, it sounded as if I was shouting.

Minako recoiled, "Where is this coming from? You know the question to that..."

"R-Really?" I panted, "I.. I.." Suddenly, I couldn't breathe and my vision became blurry. It was quite obvious I was suffering from a panic attack. Minako thought quick and smacked me in the back, restoring my breathing to normal.

"Thanks." I managed, "So... Um... I-If you want... a boyfriend... then... Uh, I know someone who's available..."

Her eyes brightened up, "You know someone?"

At that moment, I didn't want to live in this planet anymore.

"But..." She thought, "I really don't want to do this to the first guy I kissed..." She said playfully.

"So, who was your first kiss?" I asked cautiously.

"My first kiss? Well, I forgot his name. But I really, truly did care for him. He's sweet, hilarious, thinks he's funny... He didn't die, but he just went away." Minato thought while pursing her lips.

"Who is this guy? Is he taller than me?" I asked, rather hotly.

"Nah, he's just as tall as you." She said.

"Is he better looking?" I asked indignantly.

"He *is* you, dummy."

"I... I was your first kiss?" I said dumbly.

She laughed, "Of course you are! What, do you think I run around kissing any guy I find?"

Smiling, I fixed my hair, "Say, Minako... Would you date me?"

She thought deliberately for a while, "Of course I would. You're a catch."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief.

"Come on, you can't ask me that." She said, "I love you in every way. You ARE my bestest friend."

"I'm your only friend." I pointed out.

She made a face, "Gee, thanks for that."

"I'm just keeping it real." I laughed, "And I'm incredibly lucky you're my friend. No one I know is as fun as you."

She smiled and remembered something.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Junes closes in a few minutes! We should buy gifts for each other while we can!"

"Okay, we meet here in a few moments?" I asked.

"Dealio." She smiled and she raced through the mall.

I entered the mall and started window shopping. Everything was either closed or too expensive to buy _(I forgot my ATM card)._

Then, someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was a kindly old lady who loved to tease and poke fun at my love life.

"Grandma-san!" I cried as I gave her a hug, "Hey, how are you doing? Merry Christmas!"

"And a jolly New Year to you." Grandma laughed, "I'm shopping for our dinner. What about you?" She asked.

"Window shopping." I explained, "Looking for a gift."

"Ah, Minato-kun, I haven't seen you for such a long time now! What help can this old lady give?" She asked.

"Well... There's this girl..." I began.

"Ah... I see..." She gave a mischievous smile, "Is it Minako?"

I blushed, "Oh, uh... yeah..."

"Well, all you need to say is that 'You're a good woman. I'm a good man'..." She trailed off, leaving me to complete it.

"Yes, well, I need to show her a physical gifts of affection." I said, "And sadly, my funds aren't exactly on my side as well."

"I see..." She mused, "Well, what are you looking for?"

"Preferably a ring." I said.

"Ah..." She smiled, "There is one thing..." She opened her bag and unlocked a jewel case. She held in her hands a beautiful ring made of intertwined gold, adamant and rhodium. It had an intricate and elaborate autumn leaf design and was set with rubies, diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. It was so beautiful, I stared at it transfixed.

"This rings was given to me by my husband, who gave it as a promise ring... A promise of either being friends forever or lovers for all eternity" She explained, "Like you two, he was my best friend as well and gave it to me on a snowy Christmas night like this... He spent his entire savings to buy it, but this ring has something special to it that even I don't know... I'll admit, I was shocked when I saw it."

"It's beautiful." I said in awe, wondering how much it would cost to even make something that pretty.

"It's yours if you want it." She said, gesturing me to take it.

I was taken aback, "Gran, it's extremely beautiful and I'm flattered, but I... I can't accept that..." I said sheepishly.

"No, I insist." She said, giving it to me and closing my hand.

"I can't accept this." I said.

"I'll hear none of it." Grandma said, "Grandmothers love giving stuff to their grandchildren. It makes us feel as if we're going to be a part of you long after we're gone." Grandma said with a sigh.

"Grandma, I only just met-"

"Please? Before I die?" She said sweetly.

"Uh, okay!" I said at last, "Thank you." I hugged her again.

"Just swear to me that you'll make a move." Grandma said.

"I swear it."

"Well, go to her!" She cried, "She's waiting for you."

I nodded and went off after thanking her again.

Minako was warming her hands in her jacket as she held a shopping bag.

"There you are!" She cried, "I thought I said a few minutes? Well, let's go home."

"What's in there?" I asked while we walked.

"Oh, a few things... Blindfolds, lingerie-"

"Sexy." I muttered.

"Oh, you perv." She winked, "At any rate, let's hurry in walking before the snow buries us."

True enough, the winds picked up and by the time we entered the house, there was an all out blizzard.

Junpei was alone, in front of the hearth drinking hot coco. Minako talked animatedly about what she'd get, while arranging the pile of presents.

"It must be nice," Junpei mused to himself, "Having someone you can go out with."

"We aren't going out." I said, "And what about you?"

"Jupei, you must be such a loser not to ask anyone out to Christmas." Minako teased.

Junpei smirked, "Yeah... I'm such a loser..."

Minako nudged me, "Whoa, he's really bummed out."

I strode forward to Junpei, "Something wrong, pal?"

"Just the fact that it's another lonely Christmas for me..."

"Hang in there." I said.

"Yeah... I don't need a woman to make me feel good-" then, the doorbell rang. I opened it to see a young lady with orange hair on the snowy walk holding a cake box.

"Chidori?" I said in recognition.

"Hello. Is Junpei home?" She asked, "I've been calling and texting him and he hasn't responded."

"That so?" I said, "Come in, come in! You must be freezing!" I said.

"Thank you." Chidori said in appreciation.

"Junpei, you got guests." Minako shouted.

Junpei stood up and looked at Chidori, "What are you doing here?"

"Junpei, that's not really nice." Minako chided, "Poor thing must've walked the entire way to meet you here... Personally, I don't see the point."

"I left you several messages via text, yet you saw it fit to ignore my messages." Chidori said sternly.

"Oh yeah? Well, I didn't 'receive' any messages!" Junpei said back, looking at his phone. Amazingly, he didn't realized it died out from battery-loss.

"Well... Isn't that a mistake..." Junpei said, "You DO love me!" He embraced Chidori.

"Of course I do, my dear," Chidori said, "I love you very much and I apologize for ignoring you. Would it be fine if I stay the night though? I may be speaking out of turn, but the blizzard is getting terrible. I'll even sleep at the couch-"

"What are ya, nuts?" Junpei said, "Come up in my office... I cleaned my room today!" With that, Chidori and Junpei disappeared upstairs.

Minako rubbed her hands, "Well, shouldn't you go up as well?"

"Okay, but what about you?" I asked.

"Oh, uh... I need to finish up here." She said, "Here, you can have this." She gave me a handmade ticket that read: Xmas Special Only!

It read:

I'll fulfill all your deepest, most carnal desires tonight.

"I'll redeem this one..." I said, keeping my cool.

"Alright!" Minako said as she pumped her fists, "I'll be by your room later."

"YES- I mean, yeah, sure." I said, trying to keep my cool.

I ran up and arranged my stuff, lit some candles and darkened the room. Also, I played some Bossa Nova, since it wouldn't hurt my chances to set the right 'mood'.

Minako entered my room after knocking.

"What's with the decor?" She asked.

"It's Christmas." I said, thinking fast.

"I see..." Minako said, not sounding convinced.

"Ahem. I'm ready." I said formally.

"Sweet!" she cried, "But first, you have to blindfold yourself. It's a surprise."

"Kinky!" I muttered as she blindfolded me with a red silk scarf and tied my hands with a necktie.

She made some movements and a bit of banging. Suddenly, I was afraid if she was gonna try some BSDM stuff on me. I did NOT want a dildo up my rear. Not did I want jumper cables clamped on my nipples. Then again, she might even connect jumper cables somewhere... I tried to run away, but I was tied up well and good.

Suddenly, she stopped and sat down, "Open your eyes."

I smiled, then it faltered. In front of me was the most fanciest and delicious looking foods, followed by the chocolatiest Death by Chocolate cake that should be named "Mass Destruction by Chocolate" instead.

"What is this?" I said, a bit disappointed.

"Your gift." She said.

"B-But it read carnal-"

She tutted me, "For shame, Minato, for shame... Carnal also means hunger!"

"I'm not complaining! There's enough food here to feed Somalia!" I cried.

"Yeah, well,the girls and I thought it would be nice to save up money to buy you guys Christmas Dinner. Yukari spent hers on plane tickets, so it all worked out in the end, I guess."

I nodded and we started eating.

The taste was exquisite, sophisticated, cultured and expensive. It also had a faint flair of French in it, indicating Lili's possible involvement as well. (although Monaco might not be French at all)

After eating, we were moaning from a full stomach.

"Oooh..." Minako groaned, "My tummy is so full..."

"That'll pass, Hamuko." I managed.

"Why'd you keep calling me that?" She asked curiously.

"My special nickname for you." I said, "Should we exchange gifts now?" I asked.

"Let's open our gifts first." Minako suggested.

"Sure , Hamu." I smiled.

From Akihiko, I got a pair of supple soft leather gloves. Minako got a winter coat from him.

From Junpei, I got a PS Vita with several games pre-installed, while Minako had the latest Assassin's Creed game.

From Leah, I got a brand new white leather and silver holster for my Evoker. Minako was given a set of tank tops which would look sexy on her.

From Lee, I was given a CQC tactical knife, while Minako received a Swiss Army Knife. Lee likes knives.

From Yukari, I was given a silver wristband, while Minako was given a pack of guitar picks, even though she didn't know how to play.

Fuuka gave the two of us her own brand of MechaDoctor, to fix our techno stuff.

Kenji and Rio gave us both a matching pair of sportsbands, with our names sewn to it by a skillful Kenji. With it were matching sweaters.

Quan and Pink gave us many hair care products. Especially Quan, since he gave me a pack of red hair dye, with a threatening letter to dye my hair red before the Redhaired Movement of the World take over the world and persecute all who don't go red.

Naoto gave Minako and I matching watches, that seem to track each other.

Mitsuru presented me with a new scabbard for Deus Xiphos. It was jewelled and meticulously made with metal and leather. Minako got a new laptop.

"Well, that's it." I said with a sigh, "Now, should we exchange gifts?"

"Me first!" Minako cried.

"Okay... Close your eyes." I said while she obeyed.

I took the ring and set it in her left ring finger. When she opened her eyes, she gave a great gasp.

"Holy fuck! Where the hell did you get this?!" Minako cried.

"My grandma gave it to me." I said, "It's yours now. As a promise of wether being my friend or my... lover."

Her eyes shot up, "That's an easy decision then."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Uh... Not telling." She said as she handed me a box.

"What is it?" I asked.

She gave her trademark sarcastic face, "I couldn't afford to give you a gife, so I got you this box."

"Hehehehe..." I snickered as I opened it.

It was a white-gold pendant shaped like a star encrusted with diamonds and was exquisitely fashioned that the star also looked like a leaf. Actually, it looked liked an actual star, shining bright in the dark. With it came a sterling silver chain and I wore it.

"A promise." I said.

"A promise." Minako nodded.

I spent a long while with Minako. After a while, she went back to her room.

After bathing for a while and drinking choco, I was about to turn in, when Minako entered wearing an orange pajama.

"Hey, Minato?" She squeaked, "My auntie can't come home cause of the blizzard and I'm too scared to sleep by myself."

"Say no more." I waved an arm as I prepared the spare futon.

"Actually, can we both sleep on the same bed? Just one night?" I raised an eyebrow at that, "Uh, just use the futon as a barrier."

I nodded and we split the bed down the middle.

"Good night, Minato." Minako said.

"Good night Hamuko." I said happily.

We slept together on that wintery night. The night seemed warmer with her at my side. Life could only get better at this point...

But I had to ask myself... Did I move closer into Minako's heart? Or will she feel nothing for me other than brotherly love?

* * *

**_A/N: Done, done, done. Please give your thoughts out on the next chapter! Review please._**

**_I mean, really... there must be at least a few thousands of you reading this right now. It wouldn't kill you to leave a short review, mind you. I'm not asking for an entire spiel, just your thoughts. Same dealio as last time, you want an update, you should review. That's how I roll._**

**_Q/A:_**

**_Mistress: Actually... They were Orpheus, Thanatos and Messiah respectively._**

**_Radeketor: The cameos will make sense in the latter chapters._**

**_Aaron: You got most of them right. I was actually surprised at how much you got, but for spoilers sake, I won't say which._**

**_Good observation, dude._**

**_Hoshi: Thanks! I'm doing my best in the descriptive thing._**

* * *

**Special thanks for either liking or following my story:**

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**Black Paw**


	49. The Wedding

(12/25/10)

When I woke up, the futon we placed in between fell in the floor and Minako was hugging me tightly with her arms and legs.

I expected Minako to look pretty while she was asleep. Let's say it was the opposite.

Her hair was disheveled and she also drooled, but other than that, she was a nymph in springtide.

I swear, the fairy Queen Titania had nothing on Minako's beauty.

Her mouth parted slightly as she breathed periodically. Her long, pretty eyelashes were beautiful as she slept. Her creamy white skin was smooth as she hugged me tighter. I kissed her sweet smelling head while I took one picture and pretended to sleep again.

She opened her eyes the same time I did. She jerked quickly as I did and unlatched her arms and legs from me.

"Um... Good morning." She mumbled.

"Good morning." I said back, "Uh, shall we have breakfast?"

Minako nodded, "Sure."

After doing our morning rituals, we had a box of Froot Loops with Junpei and Chidori, who was looking happy.

"Thanks for the Vita, Junpei." I said in appreciation, "I like it."

"Thanks for the Ty Cobb baseball bat." Junpei said, "Besides, I only used 70,000¥ for it from my Culture club and Tartarus cash."

Chidori's eyes sparked, "70,000¥...?!" She spoke with a dangerous voice.

"It was a steal!" Junpei said in triumph.

"Since when did it occur to you to spend that much money without talking to me first?!" Chidori said with a quiet, but very stern voice.

"It's occuring to me now..." He squeaked.

"Junpei Tiberias Iori..." Chidori thundered.

Minako and I snickered, "Tiberias?" Minako sniggered.

"That's his English name." Chidori said.

"Come on babe!" Junpei said with a nervous voice, "I'm a man!"

"A man who doesn't know how to handle money." Chidori said sternly, "I'm taking your money until you learn the value of money. I'm not blaming you, Minato." Chidori added with a smile, "Junpei drink your milk."

"Yes dear..." Junpei grumbled as he drank the milk.

I took my iPhone and opened an app. I jerked it to Junpei.

_Crack!_

A whip-like noise cracked, "You're whipped, Junpei."

"Real mature!" Junpei cried, "Anyway, did you play any of the games?" Junpei asked, "I downloaded P3P and P4: Golden, along with other games."

"Personally, I'd prefer P3P." I said, having some experience in Personal 3.

"Dude, that's a load of bull." Junpei said, "Personal 4: Golden is better."

"How is it better?" I asked as I swirled my cereal.

"Well, the cast of P3 is weaker." Junpei stated, "One of the characters, Kanta Jitsumi could kill off one of the senior members, Akihito Sanaga, with his bare hands."

"That's junk." I said, "On what basis? Akihito is an unbeatable champion. He hasn't lost a single match yet. Whereas Kanta is nothing more than a hooligan. A thug. Akihito is a seasoned pro. Hell, Yurika Takeda, the healer, could do him in with her wind attacks alone."

"Well, uh..." Junpei stammered, "Chay Satokana can do a instant kill attack."

"After a critical, even then, there's a 40% chance that she won't prompt it, and a 20% chance that Yukika would do a fan attack. Or god forbid Yoshi's stupid special while Mitsuba Kiriko could do a Mind Charge, armed with Varna Bracers and buffed with Heat Riser, and decimate the entire party of P4 with a Mabufudyne or Cocytus Pain."

"That's not really true." Junpei objected, "Granted, she could kill everyone, but Teddy could survive. And Chay."

"First off, Teddy has weak defense. Chay does have an impressive attack, speed and endurance, and is arguably one of the best fighters in the game, but it'll be unstable with a weaker mage. Besides, if she gets Suzuka Gongen, her ice attacks gets weaker, making her a weak mage."

"Hmmm..." Junpei thought, "Well, Yoshi Hanaruma has a pretty decent speed and magic attack."

"Ho' please." Minako waved, "You better get down on both knees. Hachiko, the pet of the Extraordinary Stellar Seclusion Expedition Club could fight better than him. And he wields the same thing Yoshi could."

"Well, try this!" Jupei said hotly, "Yukika Amada is the best healer. She learns Salvation and has Agidyne, Fire Break and many useful moves-"

"After they past the point of use." I dismissed, "The ESSE could level up on the first night past that group."

"I'll give you that," Junpei admitted, "But the MC is the god of Personal."

"On what basis?" I said, inclined to laugh.

"Well, he took put a goddess with the World Arcanum and-"

"And what?" I asked, unable to take it anymore, "The MC of Personal 3 has the Universe Arcanum and defeated a force of nature, one who's appearance alone could desolate the world. P4's MC trashed Izanagi easily. Besides, if not for her, he wouldn't have any power at all, while the P3 MC had that power locked inside ever since he was a child! And he faced Chaos with his own free will, not wanting his friends to die. He faced her alone and it took everything the MC had to seal her, while the MC of P4 had to hide behind his friends before dying. And don't say he was pushed aside, he must've known and could have dodged it, but he only wanted to save himself. Additionally, P3's MC took down Eliza, another Wild Card user, by himself and took her down even though he was alone and she was the strongest while P4's MC needed his entire party to fight her sister, Margaux, supposedly stronger than Eliza, but not at all as hard as Eliza was. P3 has 4 major Personae, Orfeo, Mors and Savior. Plus Cipher, Orfeo's upgrade. The MC of P4 only has two, Izanagi and Izanagi no Okami. And the second one is ceremonial, and when you do get him, he's weak and can't even be registered in the compendium!"

"What about Lucifer?" Junpei said angrily.

"So what?" I said, "P3's MC could summon him too. Plus, he can use the Personae of Kanta and Yoshi."

"Well..."

"But it does have a better gameplay. The experience of it all is so awesome... And the S-link's actually make sense!" I said, "The only thing that sucks is the no new game+... but the gameplay is so good now... The new features are one of the best... no wnder they called it the Evening star of JRPG back then. Not to mention the girls are from Planet Babe..."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

I opened it and the postman gave me a parcel. I signed the paper and went back.

"What is it?" Minako asked.

"It's from Akihiko and Leah." I said as I opened it.

It was a bundle of plane tickets to the resort they were booked in. The tickets were complimentary of the Kirijo Group.

It said we urgently need to go there right away.

"The tickets say we need to go now." I said, "Are they nuts? Go to the Northern Region on such short notice?"

"Well, they say here that it's utmost that we attend." Chidori said.

"It's not like we're doing anything." Minako mumbled, "Let's go! It's gonna be all spontaneous!"

After discussing it excitedly, we decided to pack up and we rode a taxi to the Airport.

We were genuinely surprised that Kenji, Rio, Pinky, Quan, Fuuka and Lee were there.

"What are you cats doing here?" Lee asked. He had a five O'clock shadow, as if he didn't sleep at all.

"We could ask you the same thing, Shaggy." Minako said with a slight smile.

"Hmmm..." Lee grumbled.

"We were given these tickets to go to a Ski Resort." Rio said, "It sounded so romantic... Maman and Peré allowed me to go so long as Kenji comes with me."

"Aren't they worried Kenji might do something?" Minako asked.

"On the contrary, they think Kenji's the last person to try that and they feel assured." Rio said matter of factly.

"I was like, 'Tito, I uh... I hope you're going to be okay with the 'situation' in the Ski resort...?"

"And Peré was like, 'Situation?'" Rio supplied.

"Then, I said, 'the 'me-going-with-her-situation... with Rio and me." Kenji said.

"Peré then said, 'Oh, you mean the two of you being together on a snowy wasteland for a few hours?'" Rio said.

"I just nodded then." Kenji said.

Rio laughed, "Then Peré said, 'Come on, Kenj! You're the last guy in the Universe I'm worried about! The absolute dead last guy. I'd be more worried about that girly kid, Quan, the guy with the lazy eyes and the girlish face came with her.'"

"I don't know wether to be flattered or offended!" Kenji said cheerily, "But Tito should know... I've done things that'd scare him!"

"Like what?" Rio asked.

"Well, for one thing, I could take you rgh here, but I choose not to." Kenji said.

"Oh, really Wildman? Touch my boobs now." Rio said.

"Uh... Never mind." Kenji squeaked.

"Thought so." Rio huffed.

"Good for you then," Quan said, "Hwoarang said if Pinky called to complain about me or if I bang Pinky, he knows my address and won't hesitate in burning my house down... With my parents inside!"

"That's terrible." I said sympathetically.

"Terrible?" Quan said in confusion, "It's great! I think he likes me for Pinky!"

At that, we boarded the plane. It turned out to be a Concord type plane. It could go supersonic, said the attendant and we were the only ones there. In the first few minutes we were airborn, Fuuka, Kenji, Junpei and Minako were already filling up the airsickness bags with rainbow breakfast.

"Pussy!" Rio shook her head at Kenji.

"Count the Kirijo Group to make another monstrous mode of transportation..." Minako moaned as she puked.

Though it was indeed an monstrous mode of transportation, and it felt as if we left our innards back in Iwatodai, we arrived in no less than 30 minutes to a snowy landing strip.

"Finally, ground..." Minako moaned, "But it's pretty chilly..."

We rode a car from the Kirijo Group and it headed for the resort.

When we arrived, one of the areas was reserved and was decorated. Mitsuru and Naoto were there, smiling brightly.

"All of you, get dressed!" She urged, "Your clothes are ready and you will be attended to! Please hurry!"

We were ushered to our rooms. Junpei wanted a hot bath, but he was quickly dressed by a group of stylists. They were good, since he looked human. I was dressed too and I did look good.

When we went down, Lee kept mumbling.

"Damn, you should've seen the ones who dressed me," Lee said surlily, "I think he tried to grab my damn ass."

To our confusion, our clothes were identical and we wore white roses. The girls wore matching gowns too.

Again, to our confusion, we were ushered to a small chapel. There, Akihiko was standing with Mitsuru at his side, with Naoto (wearing a tux) standing behind her.

"What's going on?" I asked as I stood behind Mitsuru.

"You'll see..." Mitsuru smiled.

The pianist played Here Comes The Bride. At that moment, we finally caught up with that was happening.

Leah walked on the aisle and after a few quick words from the Priest, Akihiko and Leah exchanged rings and kissed. We were so shell shocked.

It was nearing evening, so we decided to eat at the reception.

"Akihiko, you damn bastard, why keep this hidden from us?" Lee demanded as he helped himself with bibinka from The Philippines.

"Well, after a few days here, Leah and I decided that we were meant for each other. So I called Mitsuru and told her about it." Akihiko said simply.

"And I was more than happy to plan the wedding." Mitsuru said, obviously pleased.

"On such short notice? You guys are the epitome of randomness..." Kenji said.

"Well, true love can wait... But sometimes, it just doesn't want to!" Leah declared as she hugged Akihiko, "I just knew from the moment you guys went on the school trip we were meant to be together."

"Senpai, you idiot, now we have to find a new maid!" Junpei cried.

"Junpei, sometimes I wonder if your dad let your mom drink while she was pregnant with you..." Akihiko said, "She's the reason we don't have to look for one anymore! She's literally the permanent house mother..."

"I see..." Junpei mused.

Since we were the only group present, Lee proposed to tell ghost stories, which everyone, except Fuuka, objected to.

"Okay, there was once this-"

"Eeek!" Fuuka cried.

"Fuuka, I'm not even done saying it." Lee said, "Okay, there was once this inn... It was a first class, five star inn and attracted a lot of customers... But then... one tourist mysteriously disappeared. They couldn't find any form of foul play. The next morning, her body was found hanging on top of an antenna. Whoever, or whatever, did it was probably the haunted tv..."

Fuuka, Quan and Pinky squeaked.

"Me next, me next!" Junpei cried, "There was once a girl... Everyone in her class bullied her, and one time, they locked her in a gym and she disappeared. The end."

"Aahh-" Fuuka was about to scream, "Never mind, I know this story."

"My turn!" Quan cried, "Listennup! There was once this road called the Balete Drive... Any motorist that would pass by would get an extra passenger..." Quan winked.

The old caretaker chewed on a quid of tobacco, "I reckon you folks ain't too familiar with these here parts... You know, there's a story about that there saloon..." He points to an abandoned saloon behind him, "20 years ago, two outlaws took the old town over... Sheriffs couldn't stop 'em." He spat outside, leaving a dark, wet quid on the snow, "Quickest damn gunslingers I ever did see! Made Johnny Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson look like law-abiding citizens! But they got murdered in cold blood... That saloon there was their little home away from home... They say the ghost of those mad gunmen still haunt that tavern and on quiet nights like this, you could still hear the footsteps of Slim Shady and Royce da 5'9."

"They don't speak, they float in the air wrapped in a sheet?" Quan asked, "Now that's a ghost story!"

"Why don't we check it out?" I asked.

"Good plan!" Everyone cried.

Naoto, Fuuka and Quan looked hesitant, but didn't feel like objecting.

We walked the short distance to the abandoned saloon.

"This is 'bout as far as we'll go." Mitsuru, Fuuka, Pinky and Naoto said, "Just so you guys can have a clean getaway."

"Riiiiight..." Lee said as he out an arm around Quan, "Let's go."

"Uh..." I began, just noticing for the first time how sinister the house is.

"Don't be a chicken!" Lee sneered, to which I conceded.

We entered the musty saloon. It was really abandoned and all. We checked the ground floor and nothing much to be found, although Lee did find a few bottles of moonshine.

Then, we heard footsteps. Everyone huddled together.

It turned out to be a bunny.

"So, it was actually a jackrabbit?" Quan said in disbelief, "It's so cute!"

"Mission accomplished." Lee said.

Just then, we heard a distinct 'WHOOOOOSH!' and Lee jumped.

"Let's check it out?" Minako asked.

"Okay, Lee, lead the way." I said.

"N-No thanks, man, you go ahead. I'll follow." Lee quivered.

I picked up a wooden board, "Who's calling who chicken now?" I asked as I went upstairs.

"J-Just kidding?" Lee said.

I looked everywhere. Nothing to be found. Then, I noticed a broken window.

"Hey, guys, look!" I cried. Everyone converged to me, "This is what's making the noise. The wind blew past these empty bottles and made that noise."

"Well, wasn't that a doozy?" Lee said, "Let's go."

We went out and the resort rewarded us with free passes tomorrow.

Just then, I saw a cloaked figure. I rubbed my eyes and saw he was real.

Elder was here.

I quietly moved from the group, saying I needed to use the bathroom and ignored them when they said I was going the wrong way.

I followed the figure, who was gradually running away, until we reached the peak of a snowy hill.

"Nowhere to run now." I growled as I summoned my sword.

"Who ever said I was running?" He smiled evilly.

"Who are you?"

"I think the question here is..." Elder growled, "Who are YOU!?"

"I'll be asking the questions here." I said, "Who are you?"

"Hmph." He scoffed, "I am the Spawn of Evil, the recipient of the Soul of Satan. I am the sword winner, the soulstealer, the stinging fly. I came from underneath, yet nothing came over me."

"Such riddles and lies." I growled, "I hope you're prepared for Death."

"Just as prepared as you." He summoned Lucifer's Blade and attacked me.

I parried each blow and whenever we'd lock swords, the very air would become so unstable, the ground would crack.

I kicked him and dodged rolled away. I felt scared for the first time. He was good, but I felt the Sword he wielded to have an internal struggle. If I slashed him, he would bellow in pain, whilst when he struck me, it felt like a caressing finger.

Eventually, I disarmed him and dual wielded the swords. His eyes, gleaming beneath his hood, sparked. He deliberately walked towards me with a malicious grin.

"Stop!" I yelled, "Stop!" He had me backed against a tree.

I transformed the Blade into a katana and vicously impaled him with Lucifer's Blade.

"Nngh!" He winced, "Cockroach..." He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me closer to him, causing the hilt of Lucifer's Blade to sink past his stomach.

The sword suddenly felt hotter as I dropped it. It was forced out of Elder.

The blood of Elder splattered everywhere, but when it touched the sword, the sword began to change.

Instead of a one handed sword I was accustomed to, it began to grow into a golden double-edged longsword, with the hilt becoming a more sinister devil skull and the crossguards becoming two curved spikes. On the base of it, two separate blades, making it look like a zwëihander and a glaive. It shone and was inscribed with very evil runes, and encrusted with myriads of jewels whose compositions probably weren't even in the periodic table.

He picked up the sword and admired it, "Thanks for the upgrade, Messiah..." He winced.

With a scared battle cry, I drew Deus Xiphos and lashed out. The blade should have sliced his neck, but he was astronomically fast now. He dodged and parried and the trees behind me were cut to pieces, even though he hadn't physically touched them.

I hadn't crossed swords with anyone this powerful, with the exception of Musha types in Monad. Elder was definitely THAT good. I knew I grew powerful over time, but my swordsmanship wasn't that developed.

I was a bit rusty, at least in front of Elder.

We battled back and forth. Whenever I'd hit him once, he'd counter with three, and using a large broad longsword against my shortsword.

His bloodspattered appearance was unnerving. It gave him the aura of a reaper.

I faked left and hit right, but he knew it and countered with an upward curved shot, disarming me. My sword fell off the mountainside.

He pointed the sword to my throat, while I raised my hands in the air in surrender.

"A good try, my friend." He whispered and limped towards me, "But now, I will send you to Hell, where the minions of my lord will torture you."

I was doomed. Due to the adrenaline, I was steadily losing consciousness as Elder raised his sword.

Then, I heard several wolf cries as Elder looked surprised. A pack of white wolves drove him running, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, as a familiar looking white dog poured some kind of liquid in my mouth.

I was losing consciousness, but how could I not pet the redeyed white shiba-inu that had rescued me?

After all, he was my trusty, stalwart comrade last year. With a smile, I thanked him as my vision darkened.

* * *

**A/N: Do you guys know that dog? I based the argument with a convo I had with my friend. We were both pro-P3 though. Not dissing on Yu or anything. I loved both gamed equally.**

**Well, at any rate, same deal as last time! Please review!**

**Q/A:**

**_Riv: Thanks! It was supposed to be a lemon, but I decided not to anymore._**

**_FES: Yup. I kinda thought fluff meant lemon, but nevermind. You were right about action though._**

**_Night: Junpei cockblocking is sorta a running gag. Probably cause he doesn't get any these days, but looks like he did now. Also, Junpei does have some 'lewt' from is Tartarus days, along with the money he had from Culture Day._**

**_Radektor: Yup. Grandma plays a much bigger role than you might think._**

**_Hoshi: Thanks! They would continue that awkward phase until they're both ready. And thanks, I did try to up it with the description._**

**_Starseeker: 'I'll pay my rent when you FIX THIS DAMN DOOR!' _**

**_I absolutely love Spiderman, but I hate the new one they made. Totally butchered it. But enough about that, thanks for reviewing!_**

**_Ace: Of course we do. After all, Minato is still human..._**

**_MoM: Yeah, but Minako's Orpheus has brown hair, while Telos has blonde hair... Well, I guess he can have any sort of hair, or did he go to a salon? :3_**

**_Kazuya: Thanks, although I'm not from Japan, I remember they do this at the Philippines before, only they go to mass every night instead. On the 24th, I'd have a date with my sweetheart. Good times._**

**_Yes, the presents are symbolic in the later chapters. And I agree. The game does bully Junpei too much. _**

**_He also has Tartarus cash, and you made me remember about the installing P4 there, so thanks._**

**_Oh, no problem. I'm not really from Japan, as previously stated, so I'm not too sure how they do things there. Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep that in mind._**

**_Fluff Master: Thanks. Although prior to this chapter, I didn't even know what that meant. _**

**_Guest for now: Thanks. Which collegue? It's always nice to meet fellow MinaxMina fans, though they rank almost as low as MinaxFuuka and Lord forbid MinaxChihiro! Nah, not that far._**

**_Guest(1): Agreed. Based after my own kooky granmaman._**

**_Ari: Thanks! Granmaman's are pretty cool, no?_**

**_Text User: Thanks! And I do hope you'll review again!_**

**_Guest(2): thanks. Yes, it will blossom quite soon... They're both interesting. Thanks for reviewing! Feel free to ask anything._**

**_Lumiclipse: thanks. I will definitely keep up the stories._**

**_Anonymous: I don't quite get what you're saying. You're not making any sense. And I'm really confused, can you tell me what you were trying to say?_**

**_Happy Fourth of July everyone!_**


	50. New Year's Eve

**_A/N: Yahoo! 50th chapter! As a token of my gratitude for reading it thus far, this chapter will feature the infamous King's Game!_**

**_Enjoy. And please review._**

* * *

**New stuff:**

**Hey guys! Who among you into TvTropes? Well, it just so happens that Days of Autumn is there and if you're good at that stuff, feel free to add to it, like the idioms and the like. If you'd like to edit it, then feel free to do so!**

**Thanks to PersonificationoftheNight and Sillyfudgemonkeys for making it, and here's the link to it, if you want to add or work on it, it would be highly appreciated... Just remove the spaces, please.**

** tvtropes pmwiki / pmwiki . php / FanFic / DaysofAutumn**

* * *

**_(12/26/10)_**

_I fell into another nightmare involving Elder._

_Sensei was smirking, while he was being treated by Guardian, who heated a poker and held a gourd full of whisky._

_"My lord..." He said quietly as he poured the gourd down his wound._

_"Argh!" Elder cried in pain, "Dammit.."_

_"Now, sear the flesh." Sensei said from the shadows._

_Guardian cauterised the wound quickly as Elder shrieked in pain._

_"That's your just reward," Sensei said vindictively, "For being a fool."_

_"If being a fool means getting an upgrade from the Messiah, then I am a fool's fool indeed." Elder said triumphantly._

_"That you are, then. You only have more burden, fool." Sensei said darkly, "Had you waited as I had said, you would have turned out to be more powerful. Now, you need to collect ten times as much souls."_

_Elder looked surprised, "What?"_

_Sensei sneered, "Once again, you show your usual aptitude for foolishness, my idiot student." Sensei said, "You need more souls to summon the Devil's power now. No one will bow to weakness, lest of all, the Demon King's sword..."_

_Elder bowed his head, "But... But look at the sword now..." He summoned it and Sensei nodded, somewhat impressed._

_"Well, I'll admit it looks imposing," Sensei said, "But a mere toy for you. Like I said, save up your strength. The Messiah knows you're coming now and will not hesitate to smite you where you stand. I also think it's time for you to learn magicks."_

_Elder perked up, "Like fire, wind and all that jazz?"_

_"Trivial spells," Sensei said in disdain, "Besides, Messiah already knows more of those spells in his childhood than you will in a hundred lifetimes. No, I think we ought to delve in subjects that would be shunned by the darkest of wizards."_

_"Which are?" Elder asked hopefully._

_"Four subjects that will make you the best of the best..." Sensei said, "Space, Time, Weather and Creation." Sensei said slowly, but deliberately._

_"Let's learn now." He said eagerly._

_"Not exactly now." Sensei said, "First, you need test subjects and a proper landing for it. Besides, you need to do penance."_

_"Penance?" Elder said in confusion._

_"Yes. Do you honestly think I will let you disobey me again? Go forth and punish yourself like I told you before." _

_Elder bowed his head, "Yes, Sensei." He left Sensei and the Guardian._

_He walked into another room. He closed it before I could go in, but I found out I could go right through walls._

_He had his back behind me as he took off his cloak, pants and shirt, leaving him in dark leather shorts._

_The wound I inflicted by impaling him were still there, but seemed to have knit quite fast._

_I noticed a ghastly device clamped tight in his thigh. It was a leather strap, studded with sharp metal spikes that cut deep into his white flesh. He faced a window that shone light directly in his face._

_"I shun the light, and all its inhabitants." He proclaimed as he tightened the strap. I winced as the strap made a groaning sound and the flesh squished with the strap. He purred, as if enjoying the pain._

_He then took the heavy knotted rope coiled beside him. It looked pretty evil, made of leather and the knotted metal at the end was caked with blood. _

_With some difficulty, he gripped the rope and swung it hard into his back, slashing his flesh and spraying the room with droplets of blood._

_"I reject the light!" Elder vowed, swinging the whip to his other side, "And all it's inhabitants!" He chanted as he swung it again._

_Again and again, he swung hard._

_"I renounce The Lord and all His Angels!" He cried, "What have they ever done for me?" He swung again with more force, tearing his skin._

_"Bachi Cōpasu Meum..." He winced as he whipped his back until it was raw._

_I went in front of him so I could see his face, but the light made it difficult while I focused on him._

_Before I began to recognize him, I felt my head ache really hard. Then I felt it again. The third time sent an explosion of colors in my head, disrupting the dream._

I woke up to find Junpei hitting me on the head with a bat. He wore a ski outfit, as if he went skiing a while ago.

"Ow, what the fuck man?!" I cried as I threw stuff at him.

"Oh, you're awake!" Junpei said in relief, "Hey man, we've been worried about-" He was cut off as I grabbed him and threw him down the window.

"Ow..." I grabbed my head as a dog jumped at me and licked my face.

"Ah!" I cried, "The hero of the day! Thanks Koromaru." I patted Koromaru in the head.

Koromaru barked.

"Where are the others?"

He barked again and went down. I followed him downstairs. Minako, Mitsuru, Lee and Chidori were inside, looking as if they'd come back from the ski trip.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"Taking the dogs out on a walk." Lee said while reading the paper.

"Hey, he's awake!" Minako cried as she hugged me.

She almost squeezed me to death, "Minako, I'm still alive!" I said with a chuckle.

"You idiot! You made me- us worried, being out cold for a day now!" Minako said, slapping me in the arm.

"Mainly Minako dude, we weren't worried at all." Lee said with a wink.

"Shut up!" Minako said, blushing red, "Some bathroom break that was! What, did you wrestle a yeti over who should go first?"

Deciding not to worry them with Elder, I said, "It was more of a bear or an abominable snowman." I gave an account of it, though false. Mitsuru swore to have someone hunt the bear down.

"Really?" Junpei, who staggered inside, "Maybe you had some kind of sword fight with an evil twin of yours and lost. When he was about to kill you, that's when Koromaru saved you."

I glanced around nervously as Koromaru barked.

"Nonsense." Chidori said austerely, "Junpei, act your age or else I'll confiscate all your magazines, television and video game consoles."

Junpei shrugged, "Yes dear..."

I took my phone and jerked it to him.

Crack!

"Real funny!" Junpei cried.

"Wherever did you get that bump?" Chidori asked, "It wasn't there before. And Junpei... Didn't you go upstairs not too long ago?"

I looked at Junpei, "I, uh, bumped my head."

"Right... And I slipped and fell of a window." Junpei said with a wink.

"Well, that's stupid, even by your standards, Junpei." Minako said.

Just then, everyone else arrived.

Fuuka was with a white Dachshund and a white Border Collie, Rio and Kenji walked with a white Golden Labrador, Quan and Pinky walked a Beagle, Akihiko and Leah were walking a Dalmatian and Naoto walked a Siberian Husky.

"Hey, look who woke up." Kenji said, "Dude, these dogs are great!"

"Meet Chips!" Quan said as he petted his Beagle.

"This is Interceptor." Naoto said proudly to the Husky.

"This is Duke." Fuuka said as she petted the Dachshund.

"We named this one Dudley." Kenji said.

The Border Collie ran up to Mitsuru's lap, "I've named this one Athena."

The Dalmatian ran up to Chidori and licked her face, "Oh! Sit!" She commanded as the dog whined and obeyed, "Stay... Stay... Good boy! Good boy!" Chidori cooed as she petted the Dalmatian, "I name you Pluto." The dog growled, "Jupiter?" The dig shook its head, "Aigis?" The dog barked angrily, "Maximo?" The dog nodded and licked her in the face.

"Alright, everyone, why don't we leave?" Akihiko asked, "So we can prepare for New Year?"

"Hey, I want to go Skiing." I protested.

"Maybe next year." Mitsuru said,"If you behave."

"Please?" I asked sweetly.

"No." Mitsuru said sternly.

"Come on!" I cried.

"Minato Yūki Arisato, don't give me that. You've been injured and you will not go on a ski trip and that's final."

"Yes Mitzy..." I grumbled.

Junpei opened his iPhone and jerked it to me.

Crack!

"Oh, Grow up, Junpei!" I cried.

We later agreed to adopt the dogs. Akihiko, Leah, Junpei and I got Koromaru, Quan and Pinky had Chips, Kenji and Rio had Dudley, Chidori had Maximo, Mitsuru had Athena and Naoto kept Interceptor.

We rode the plane back to Iwatodai and prepared for the New Year Party, since we were positive that the supermarkets would be clogged up again.

Then...

* * *

**_(12/31/10)_**

**_Monday..._**

It was evening and everyone was in a festive mood. The food and drinks flowed like the river and the moods were as high as the sky.

Except for Yukari, who was tending to her mother, everyone was there. We'd greeted her via Skype though.

She was in a hospital room, alone. And since I was done eating, I decided to chat with her.

"Hey, Yukari, how're ya doing?" I asked as I popped a cracker at Junpei, "Where's your mom?"

"Fine, thanks. Mom is going through another operation." She smiled. It seemed to me as if she was guilty or something, but I didn't mind.

"I'll pray for her." I promised as Junpei lit a piccolo, which I doused with punch.

"Mmm... Thanks. Want to meet your little sister?" She asked as she carried a baby to the camera, "Say 'hi' Hikari."

"...'lo." Hikari said shyly.

She was über cute. She looked like a smaller, less moody version of Yukari. She even had Yukari's trademark bangs.

"Oh my gosh, she's an angel!" I cried, "Yukari, you must be adopted, she is so cute!"

Yukari laughed, "Oh you... Anyway, how was Christmas?" She asked.

Deciding not to displease her, I made a white lie, "The days are cold, living without you. The nights were long, and I was thinking about you. You may be gone, but you're always closer." I said with a solemn voice.

She smiled, "Oh, Minato, you charmer..." She smiled and looked away, in guilt, "You know, I may do stuff that might hurt you, but I still love you very much, Minato..."

"Something wrong?" I asked as I deflected a Piccolo Corsair that Junpei lobbed at me, "You're being awfully cryptic."

"Well, um..." She fidgeted as her sister twirled Yuakri's hair, which had grown a bit longer, "I did something very bad... To you."

"Really?" I said, raising an eyebrow, "We'll worry about that later. Enjoy New Year! Ours won't be fun without you, but don't worry. I'll think about you throughout." I promised.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

She smiled, "Well, thanks. And Happy New Year!"

"Wait, when are you going back?" I asked hurriedly.

"Maybe sometime in the month."

"Thanks. Happy New Year!" I said as I ended the convo.

I went outside and joined the gang in writing graffiti using flares.

Then, we had a war using Roman Candles and fired it at each other, we even had a sparkler swordfight while Mitsuru and the girls watched. Naoto was just drinking juice.

Later, we played catch with Koromaru and the dogs. Chips chewed on the ball too hard, while Interceptor lived up to his name and ran after the ball after it rolled 400 meters down a hill.

After we finished, we went back in.

"What now?" I asked.

"King's Game!" Minako cried.

"A what?"

"A Kings Game, muggle." Minako said in annoyance, "Like modified truth or dare. it's basically a game in which everyone chooses a chopstick that's numbered in accordance to how many people there are with one of them being a crown. The crown denotes the King who then proceeds to choose two people and make them do something. Get it?"

"I ain't no muggle!" I cried.

"Sounds exciting!" Lee said, "Let's go grab some chopsticks!"

"Oh, I have some chopsticks!" Pinky cried as she handed us her bento.

"Pinky, these are metal." I pointed out, "These are Korean Chopsticks. We sorta need them as the woody type."

Eventually, Leah did find some and marked them.

"Let's play!" Lee cried as we each picked a stick.

"Who's the king?" Lee asked.

"Me!" Kenji cried, "I'm the king! I'm the king!"

"Geez, calm down!" Lee said, "Order them to do something nuts!"

Kenji looked around, "I order number 7 to kiss number 1."

"Number 1 eh?" Lee snickered, "I'd hate to see the sorry asshole who- wait, that's me!" He yelped.

"And guess who's number 7!" Quan smiled.

"You asshole Kenji! I saw you look!" Lee objected.

"The King's Word is Law." Kenji said as we agreed.

"That's null and void motherfucker!" Lee cried.

"Come on, you'll like it!" Rio insisted.

"I give you my blessing!" Fuuka cried.

"Do it for us, dude!" Junpei cheered.

"Would you prefer I wear a wig and pretend to be Wen-" Quan began.

"Fuuka!" Lee cried, "Fine..."

Lee looked at Quan in the eyes, "One... Two... Three!" With reluctance, Lee lightly kissed Quan on the lips for a split second.

"No way!" Kenji cried, "That's not a kiss! That doesn't count!"

"Yes it does!" Lee yelled.

"It kinda does count." Quan said.

"That's not a kiss. Kiss him like I kiss your mother!" Kenji jeered to Quan.

"You do it right and we'll do anything you want." Rio said.

"Anything, huh?" Lee said hopefully, "Alright, pucker up, Coyote Ugly." Lee said to Quan.

They kissed, rather erotically, but were trying not to throw up at the same time.

"Now that's a kiss..." Fuuka sighed.

"Throw some tongue action in there!" Minako cheered. Lee raised his middle finger at Minako.

Quan was trying to cradle Lee's head, but Lee slapped it away. After they were done, Lee went to the sink and vomited.

"Let's do it again!" Quan teased Lee.

"Quan, I get that you're horny and all... but you got bad breath, dude..." Lee groaned as he scrubbed his tongue with a sponge.

"Dude, you are a lousy ass kisser." Quan remarked.

"Holy shit, I wasn't even trying! YOU WERE TRY-" he was cut off as he heaved tonight's dinner on the sink, "I swear to God, I'll get you for this, Kenji."

"Alright, let's do it again." We picked the sticks again.

Junpei jumped up, "Tada da da! I'm the King! And my word is law, so you all better respect my authoritah!"

"Junpei, how many times do I have to tell you not to watch South Park?!" Chidori chided.

Lee made several hand gestures beside Chidori.

"Number 1 please come and sit on mah lap full of authorotah!" Junpei said with 'authoritah'.

"Junpei..." Chidori thundered, "Oh, it seems as though I'm number 1... Very well..." She stood up and sat on Junpei's lap.

Junpei moaned.

"Please enjoy this moment, Junpei, the only time I will get physical is on Valentines Day, Christmas and your Birthday." Chidori said as she stood up. Junpei looked ready to die.

"S'cuse me... I need to change my underwear..." Junpei said as he ran upstairs.

"Gross!" Minako blanched.

"He came, he saw, he conquered." Lee said solemnly.

We mixed it up again and picked.

"Okay, I'm the King!" Naoto cried, "I hereby order number 4 and 10 to kiss each other."

"I am Number 4." Kenji said.

"And I'm number 10." Junpei said.

"Ack!" Kenji cried.

"Just kidding! I'm not number 10." Junpei said.

"Oh, thank Heavens!" Kenji cried out in praise, "Who is she?"

"Me." Rio winked.

"Uh... Pass?" Kenji said sheepishly.

Rio made a face, "Come on, Kenji, please kiss me...?"

"I'll kiss you if this guy's too scared to." Minako winked.

"Fine!" Kenji grabbed Rio's head roughly, "You will not enjoy this as much as I will."

He kissed her roughly, trashing the place like a pair of eels and knocking down a fan. When Kenji was done, he fainted.

"Wimp." Rio smiled, "But my wimp." She said as she caressed his cheek.

We mixed it up again.

"I'm Queen..." Mitsuru said, looking amused, "I order number 9 and 7 to embrace."

I had 7 so I stood up, only to find Minako standing too. We smiled as we hugged each other warmly. I closed my eyes and held her as if she would leave forever. Of course, I knew she would be here, but my heart panicked, because if I even relax my hold, she would leave. I also felt her boobies on my chest and it felt nice, in a nonsexual way.

"Alright, you two can stop now." Mitsuru said commandingly.

Minako released me, but I didn't.

"Hahaha, dude, you really miss me, huh?" Minako asked. I didn't answer, but cuddled my head with hers.

"Alright, twenty more seconds and you two can get a room." Lee said, eating crackerjacks.

I let go of Minako, who wagged a finger at me, "Minato..."

I shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a taker."

We mixed it again and this time, Quan had the Kingship.

"I want numbah 3 to confess their secrets!"

Pinky stood up, "Quanny, I'm sorry, but... I'm heavily into Yaoi."

Quan nodded, "I see... I see... US x UK? Sasuke x Naruto? Luffy x Zoro?"

"Nope... You and Lee."

Lee, who was drinking punch, spat it out. Some of it dripped down his nose.

"What the hell?!"

"I even make pictures of it sometimes. Only Fuuka here knows about it. We've been fantasizing..." Pinky said with a sigh as she and Fuuka stared into an artwork she made. It actually looked neat. Lee's hand on Quan's buttock was really well made.

"You've been fantasizing about your boyfriends cheating on you with each other?" Rio said quizzically.

"We're not proud of it..." Fuuka admitted, "But it's so good to imagine my Lee and her Quan together."

Quan nodded and looked at Lee, who raised his shirt, revealing a holstered Glock, to which Quan looked away.

"I even submitted it to Shonen after they saw LeeQuanParadise." Pinky said, "And they're adopting it!"

"What the hell is that?" Lee shouted.

"A new online doujinshi I made." Pinky said, "The adventures of Lee, a war veteran who came home, and Quan, a professor's son, and their romance in the unlikeliest times..." Pinky said, "Lee lost himself in the war, but found his life inside Quan... Literally."

"You can't do that!" Lee cried, "That's bullshit!"

"Actually, I kinda allowed them to." Quan said with a shy smile.

"Y-You... WHAT?!" Lee bellowed, "Why you... you... you traitor!" He choked Quan, who poked him in the eyes. Quan ran away, while Lee took out his Glock and shot 13 bullets at Quan, but Quan slipped away.

"I'll deal with you later..." Lee muttered, "And I better get 40% of the profits, Pinky, or I'm suing for emotional distress!"

"Of course, of course... I'm not after the money, I just like to draw!" Pinky said.

"Sweet... It's not too explicit is it?" Lee asked.

"Not at all! Just last night, I had you giving Quanny a BJ on episode 69." Pinky said casually.

"Sexy!" Leah cried, "Gimme the URL later."

Lee almost cried, "Oh my poor, aching heart..." He popped an entire bottle of over-the-counter pain killers and drank punch.

We mixed the sticks as Quan cautiously came back.

Minako jumped, "I'm the Queen! Okay... I command number 8 to reveal their true feelings about me."

I looked at my stick. It was labelled 8.

"Well... I'm 8." I said.

"Well, go on tell me." Minako said excitedly.

"Minako...I... I want to ask you something and I need you to be totally and utterly honest with me."

"I will. I swear." Minako said. Everyone else seemed excited.

"It might be awkward after this, but I need to know how you feel... Okay, I've been keeping this inside for a while but now I need to confront you about it. I really hope this doesn't ruin the relationship we already have.

I really need to know and I don't see any other way to do it. It's not fair for me if you don't give me an answer..."

At this, everyone held their breath.

"I want you to tell me truthfully and honestly, no matter what happens, that you give me your honest opinion..."

Everyone watched eagerly. Minako was no longer smiling.

"Do you know the muffin man?"

Everyone took a few seconds to digest that. After they did, they howled with laughter.

"Minato, you troll!" Junpei laughed.

We were about to do the mix, but the countdown to New Year was nearing. We got in front of the clock.

"3...2...1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!" We shouted as Naoto jumped. The couples kissed, leaving me and Minako awkwardly standing.

Minako smiled, "I know you want a kiss."

I bit my lip, "So what if I do?"

She smiled.

"Should-" I began, but Minako glomped me and locked me in a kiss. My world spun around me. It was so passionate and full of emotion. After what seemed like a lifetime, she broke the kiss.

"First kiss of the Year, bitch." She winked.

I smiled. There was no doubt, nor had there ever been, that I love Minako.

* * *

**A/N: Whew, done at last. Well then, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Please, as usual, review because it makes me smile as much as you do when you read this. Also, same deal as before. Thanks.**

**Credits to: KazuyaYamura, FES, Ari, Fang and Night.**

**Q/A:**

**Night: He will eventually get stronger.**

**Anonymous: Sure thing, no problem. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Awesomedude: Thanks. And what made you think I'll ever quit on this?**

**Kazuya: Yeah it was the fifth too, but I wanted to greet them still. Anyway, yes, Koromaru is back! But Aigis and Ken won't sadly. For personal, unresolved reasons.**

**Hoshi: Yeah, it was a last minute thing. Needed to give a reason on why they're up there. Thanks!**

**Ace: Well, since Minato owned the sword, he stabbed Elder, who 'stole' it, but since Elder is evil, it caused the sword to look like Frostmourne from WoW.**

**Meow: No chance. Haha, I prefer them as lovers.**


	51. Joyride Drive

**_A/N: Wow, we've come a long way, eh? Well, hopefully, I'd finish Days of Winter chapter 2. Getting the literative version of mindblock. _**

**_Also, I really want to emphasize exactly how evil Elder is, and as such, it will get somewhat darker. I have italicized the dream sequences, where most of it is happening, and you're free to skip them because they mainly show his development and aren't that important to the plot._**

**_Also, for all who don't know, someone made a TvTrope about Days of Autumn! Yay! *pops fire cracker* If you are good at TvTrope editing (sadly, I'm useless as it gets in those kinds of stuff,) then feel free to edit it! It will be much appreciated if you do!_**

**_Onwards to the next chapter!_**

* * *

**_(1/1/11)_**

**_Tuesday, around 12:39 AM..._**

Lee came forward to talk to be about something.

"Hey, bro, mind coming with me to the Dorms?" Lee asked hopefully, "I need to go grab something and those morons are too busy shooting sparks at each other... I can't ask Aki, caus' he might be 'consummating' his marriage."

Deciding not to argue, I nodded and Lee and I set out for the dorm, located at school. I specifically borrowed the Mutsuhito for that purpose, as we zipped by revelers and celebrators. I parked the car outside Gekkoukan High.

We walked through the front and passed the West Wing and into the dorm. The dorm was a bit trashed up from the party, yet no amount of decor could diminish how insidious and diabolical the Astronomy Tower looked from the lobby bay windows of the trash strewn lobby.

Just then, I was pushed aside by a group of boarders carrying an injured student. He looked absolutely normal, but his left hand had been shrivelled to a withered claw. He moaned in pain.

"What the hell happened to him, eh?" Lee jutted a chin towards the student.

"Maybe a firework blew up on his arm?" I speculated.

"Hahaha, what an idiot!" Lee laughed.

Just then, Richard, Woozy and Adachi, Lee's kohai, arrived, smoking two cigarettes.

"Actually, Big Boss, he was-" Adach began, but Lee angrily cut him off.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lee demanded angrily.

Woozy did a bridge, "Smoking a ciggie- Hey!" Lee took their cigarettes, threw them on the floor and took out a gun and shot the cigarettes into oblivion. When he was done, he huffed up with pride.

"I cannot believe how fucking easy it is to get cigarettes in this country!" He complained as he opened his jacket to holster the gun, revealing an Uzi, a Desert Eagle and a 38. Revolver all holstered in, "Anyway, what happened to Raizen? He looked pretty messed up." Lee said while the five of us walked to his room.

"Ah, we're not really sure ourselves, but..." Richard came closer and spoke with a hushed voice, "They say he was leaning on the Astronomy Tower and his hand suddenly turned into a claw."

"What's worse?" Woozy spoke up, "Is that no one would believe us when we told em' it was the Curse of the Astronomy Tower."

Lee sighed as if he was annoyed. I just looked at them.

"Ignore their nonsense, Minato, they've been going on about it ever since those rumors started flying around." Lee said with a tired voice.

"What were the rumors?" I asked.

"Well, it goes like this..." Adachi began, "Someone reported that a Cloaked guy kept going in and out... It started on Christmas Party, where Old Muroy disappeared after chasing some cloaked dude. Since then, the Astronomy Tower's been getting pretty dodgy."

"Dodgy?" I asked quizzically.

"You wouldn't believe me if we told ya." Richard said with crazed eyes, "But I'm telling it anyway... Adachi, Woozy, me and a few other guys were hanging around the fields at night and we saw, I swear, we saw the entire west wing of the Tower erode to a ruin bro! Like, it fast forwarded into time or something!"

I looked at the Tower. It seemed pretty normal to me, "Then why-"

"Get this..." Adachi interrupted, "It went back to normal in a few seconds."

"That's a load of crap dude." Lee said dismissively, "You were probably sleepy!"

"We weren't, Big Boss, I swear!" Woozy cried, "We even went in to investigate and when we did, three minutes in, we looked outside the window and saw daylight!"

"It was, like, 10:30 PM when we went in and when we did get up to higher levels, the sun raced across the sky and it became night again!" Richard said at a furious pace.

"And we even saw the same Cloaked Guy zipping past us like The Flash!" Woozy cried.

"You have to believe us, Big Boss!" Adachi grovelled and his mouth foamed like a rabid dog.

"Whatever, Adachi, get off!" Lee cried as he took a box of fireworks from under his bed, "I wasn't born yesterday, you know! You three, go on and find more proof, ya hear?" Lee said as we went out.

"Of course, Big Boss!" They cried.

"What do you think of those rumors?" I asked Lee while we drove back to the house.

"In my opinion, it's a load of nonsense made by those bored idiots." Lee said harshly.

"But it's a bit interesting, right?" I insisted, "Definitely needs to be investigated."

"But haven't you heard? I hear that place is cursed!" Lee cried, in contradiction with his earlier statements.

"Yeah, sure." I said with a bored voice. I then requested Naoto to investigate it, to which she cried, "Sounds like a case!"

After setting off some more bombs and shooting some guns, I went to sleep.

Wether it was due to the stress of today or whatever, I was again assailed by nightmares Thursday night.

**_(1/4/11)_**

**_Thursday..._**

_I was in the same room, most likely the same room I've always been dreaming of. Sensei and Elder were looking at several old, shrivelled bodies strewn in a pitiful heap. They were still pretty much alive, but were at Death's door. Guardian was piling them up._

_"Impressive work, I must say." Sensei said quietly from his chair, "I admit, I didn't expect you to be proficient in this at all!"_

_"My thanks, Sensei. I did learn from the best." Elder said with pride._

_"No, that was all you. All I did was read a few tomes on Black Magic." Sensei said with genuine sincerity._

_"He's right, Milord." Guardian boomed, carrying the groaning old people, "Especially when these 'unwilling subjects' were children only mere hours ago..."_

_At that moment, I saw in the old men the eyes of innocent children, with their lives stolen from them. I wanted to throw up at that moment, nausea running through me like an electric shock._

_"I think it best to name you 'Master of Time', soon, after you completely master it." Sensei declared, "Now then... Try to do the thing you have been practicing on."_

_Elder nodded and made a cryptic hand movement. With a loud crack, the bodies disappeared, but reappeared quickly._

_"It's no use, Sensei... Looks like I need a bit more practice." Elder panted sheepishly._

_Sensei scowled, "Well, hurry up about it. You have quite a lot to learn, so to say. Time comes naturally for you, for some strange reason."_

_"What to do with the bodies?" Guardian asked, "Shall I consume them?"_

_"No. Their souls are still useful..." Elder summoned the monstrous sword and killed the pitiful wretches with several swings and strokes with Lucifer's Blade. The wretches made no protest, but their sad voices would haunt me as their now old eyes were extinguished._

_"I say we do Creation next." Elder said with a smile, "Guardian here is a testament of my prodigious skill in that field."_

_"That's right." Guardian supplied._

_"We will do so with your other friends and spies." Sensei said, "Will you consent?"_

_He nodded, "For the greater good."_

I woke up with a sweaty start. It was already early morning of January 5 and since I didn't feel like staying in and risk another nightmare, I decided to go to the park.

Walking down the path of frost never seemed so liberating for me. The icy snow cooled my body while the shining sun fought with the winter clouds and lost in the attempt to break through the icy canopy that hung over the frozen land. I sat down on an icy bench and contemplated on exactly how evil Elder is, when a familiar face greeted me.

"Minato! Hey!" Rio greeted. She wore a tracksuit and had obviously been jogging, "What's up?"

Glad something was there to distract me from my dark brooding, I moved aside to offer her a seat, "Oh, I'm good, thanks." I let her sit down beside me, "Some night, huh?"

She smirked, and sat down, "Yeah. Peré congratulated Kenji in the middle of the night after I told him he'd kissed me."

"That so?" I wondered, "Your parents are pretty supportive."

"Aren't they?" Rio smiled, "Kenji's been a family friend. Peré and his mom were best friends and they were pretty bummed they didn't get to marry each other."

"Why didn't they?" I asked politely, hoping that I wasn't asking out of turn.

"Oh, Peré's and Kenji's mom's parent's hated each other, so when they didn't marry, they promised that their children would marry each other. That's us. So far, this year was the only time Kenji showed a romantic interest for me. Hell, my Peré even held a fiesta when he found out about our relationship. We even went to Brazil and celebrated there with Kenji and his family! It lasted for five whole days!"

"Well, perfect, isn't it?" I muttered sadly, "Your parents, your friends, and everyone else are happy with your relationship... I have to choose between two girls and I have no way of knowing what to do..."

Rio tilted her head slightly, "Well, I admit I'm not the best when it comes to matters of the heart. Don't you remember? You were the one who helped me out. I know that I can't repay what you did for me- I mean us, but if I can help in any way, just say so." Rio said, with an understanding smile, "But do take note I'm more of a Physical Counselor and a Nutritionist-Dietician than a therapist." She added hastily.

"Well, I guess." I managed, "I'm in a dilemma, Rio... I'm... I'm in love with Minako, but I like Yukari too."

Rio smiled mischievously, "Knew it." She thought for a while, "Well, that's pretty rough... Make a list of their negative qualities and see which one has the worst traits. I think your decision will be much easier after that."

I perked up, "Why didn't I think of that? Okay... Minako: loud, noisy, arrogant, eats too much, imperious, controlling, a bit prideful and thickheaded." For a moment, I heard Rio mutter something like, 'Look who's talking' about the thickheaded part, but it may very well be my imagination.

"Alright, fair point. Now, Yukari?" Rio asked.

I had only one answer... One answer in this world that outweighed all of Yukari's positive traits, no matter how good or many they were, "...she's... not Minako." I gave a mournful sigh.

Rio fidgeted, "Well, I guess we both know the answer to that, eh?"

I merely nodded, "But... they're both so perfect..."

"True, they may seem perfect... but they're at YOUR mercy." Rio stressed.

"What?" I said with genuine confusion.

"Yep. While you have two girls to choose from, they only have one perfect guy that chooses them." Rio said sagely.

"But... Rio, answer this honestly... Does Minako like me?" I asked skittishly.

Rio sighed, "Minato, look in my eyes." I complied and looked directly into her grey eyes, "The answer for your question is yes. Minako does like you, but listen!" She said loudly, "You need to assert your affections. Really dude. You've got her in the palm of your hands! Don't screw this up!"

But at that point, I wasn't listening anymore. Rio's voice has been drowned out by my mind screaming in victory.

"Hahaha, oh Minato..." Rio hugged me, "What will I do with you?"

"The only problem is... how do I break this to Yukari without her beating me up?"

"Worry about that later," Rio said with a carefree smile.

"Yeah... YOLO, right?" I said with a nervous smile, breaking the YOLO taboo.

Rio's face twisted with disgust, "Carpe Diem, dude. Don't use that YOLO bullshit in my presence." Rio said darkly, "Anyway, want to grab a bite?"

"Sure. My treat. Where to, though? I hear there's this new resto in town that serves killer ramen and congee and-" I started, but Rio cut me off.

"What is it with men and ramen?" She said in annoyance, "That has little to no nutritional value and-" she began a long rant about nutrition and food, that left her panting. And that was saying something, Rio panting.

In the end, we decided to hang by Pinky's shop and enjoy some carrot cake. When I said carrots improving eyesight was a myth and didn't hold any eye-improving nutrition, she countered that recent studies concluded that they did, in fact do so and questioned me which type of vitamins carrots had.

I erroneously said vitamin B and she laughed so hard for the next ten minutes or so, with no one else getting the joke. I then concluded that nutritionists were very strange indeed.

Pinky galloped towards us, "Hey guys! Junpei told Quanny that we should go on a joy ride and he agreed! We meet here later at 6." She said joyfully as she galloped back.

First to arrive was Junpei and Lee.

"Dude... First Yukari, then Minako, now Rio?!" Lee cried, "What kinda voodoo do you do to get so much tail?"

"We're out as friends, moron." Rio said angrily, "For your info, dude, Minato's in love with someone else."

"Too bad for you, eh?" Junpei smirked as Rio threw a fork at him.

Next to arrive were Kenji. He ran to me and started choking me. Snce I felt sorry for him, I made choking noises.

"You don't mess with another man's girl! You don't mess with another man's girl!" He chanted whilst trying to choke me out.

"Kenji, relax. Minato's in love with someone else." Rio stated.

"Too bad for you, eh?" He smiled mischievously as Rio threw a spoon at him.

Then, Minako arrived.

"Minato, cheating on me with Rio?" Minako sneered.

"For Pete's sake, we're out as friends!" Rio cried.

Quan arrived and we rode the car. I drove it.

Everyone was messing around as I drove Quan's car.

"C'mon, what was that?!" Junpei cried, "You gotta be aggressive man!"

"Take off the training wheels!" Kenji said, "You're too slow!"

"Man, you will never survive Asian roads!" Lee said.

"Dude, Quan told me he has a crowbar under the seat," I said menacingly, "So don't make me knock your teeth out."

I looked at the rearview mirror, "Minako, Rio, Pinky, are you guys talking to each other on the phone?!"

"We're conferencing Fuuka, Yukari and Naoto. They can't go out." Minako said matter of factly.

"Hey, I like that song!" Pinky said with a sigh.

"Raise your glass." I said, tuning the sound, "Love that song."

"Why does it sound super duper familiar?" Pinky thought aloud.

"Because Pink made it." Quan said casually.

"Hey! I'm not a singer, silly Quan," Pinky said in a surprised voice.

Quan facepalmed himself, "Pinky, I love you so very much, I really do, but sometimes you are such a twit!"

"I feel your pain." Rio said as she looked at Kenji.

I turned the sound up.

We cruised for a while and stopped for a gas stop and bathroom breaks.

"Here, fill this sardine can up while I smoke dangerously close to your gas station." Lee said as he lit one up.

"Yes sir, right away!" The attendant said and looked at me, as I went to stretch my legs, "Hello."

"Oh, hey." I said, trying to disengage conversation with the stranger.

"Welcome! You guys from the city? Well, nothing much to do here. It gets so boring that you'll be either hanging out with your friends or getting a part time job." The attendant said, "Give it some thought, why don't you? We're always on need of help." He said as he held out his hand.

I was about to shake it, when Lee interrupted, "Hey, great life lesson there kid!" Lee said sarcastically, "Are you his therapist? I'm not paying you to fill the car with nonsense! Why don't you tell him exactly how electricity works while you're at it?!"

The attendant mumbled an apology, and filled the car up. For a moment, her eyes turned scarlet red and it became a bit foggy, but I ignored it.

We rode out again.

"Man, this is getting boring. What do we do now?" Kenji asked.

"I dunno. Quan?" Junpei said.

Quan thought for a while, and then his face brightened up and he pulled something from under the seat.

It was an expensive-looking paintball gun.

Lee pulled up the joint he was smoking and laughed loudly. The guys and girls giggled, since they were excited.

Quan opened the window and shot a three-round burst at a porn shop.

"That's for not stocking any May Ozawa!" He cried.

Junpei took the gun and aimed it at a house. He shot several shots into the windows.

"Haha! Nice house!" Kenji cried.

"Um, Kenji?" Rio said, trying not to laugh, "That was your house."

"Junpei! You jerk!" Kenji cried.

As Kenji strangled Junpei, Lee took the gun and aimed it at a crowd of people.

"Hey, don't-" I said as I beeped the horn several times to warn the people.

"21 Gun Salute, bitches! Dis be a drive-by!" Lee screamed as he shot at the people, not actually hitting any of them, just causing major panic.

"Oooh, can I try?" Pinky begged as Lee handed it to her. She looked at it intently, "Where do you shoot-"

Bam!

She had accidentally shot Junpei, streaking his hat in scarlet red.

"Ah!" Junpei cried, "I'm bleeeeeeeding!" He cried.

"No you're not. Quit the theatrics." Pinky said.

"No, really, it broke my skin!" Junpei cried.

Minako siezed the paintball gun and began shooting at several cars, all of which were Volkswägen, new generation.

"I hate them because the Beetle was one of the primary symbols of 60's youth culture and freedom. Now, the youth of the 60s had become the corporate bosses of the 90's, and had repackaged the symbol of their own youth, selling it to the youth of another generation as if it didn't mean anything to them." She said after I asked why she targeted those cars.

After that, Rio shot at a Sports Wear store for not stocking any Birkenstocks her size. "That implied I was fat." Rio pouted.

"Let me try... Take the gas for me." I said as I opened the window and sat on the windowsill.

Quan obediently took the gas as I aimed it at a donut store.

"Get that donut shop! They charge extra for a baker's dozen of strawberry

donuts!" Quan cried.

"Yeah!" Junpei cried.

"That's right!" Rio encouraged.

Everyone encouraged me to do it. So I took deliberate aim.

As we rounded up to the corner, there was a police patrol cruiser.

"Oh shit!" Lee cried.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Kenji, Junpei and Quan sputtered.

"Don't do it!" The girls shouted.

I aimed at the patrol car and emptied the paintball gun into the windshield of the car.

"You fucking psycho!" Lee shouted, "You brave, fearless little bastard!"

Then, the sirens blasted.

"Oh shit! It's the fuzz!" Minako cried.

"Pop the weed, Lee! POP THE WEED!" Quan bellowed.

Lee tossed his joint out the window and sat in a stupor.

Then, the music played off and the car slowed down.

"What's happening?" Kenji asked.

"The fucking car just died!" I yelled.

Everyone let out a groan of annoyance.

"Aw man! I knew we shouldn't have gone on this crazy-ass joyride!" Junpei bemoaned.

"YOU were the one who suggested it, Stupei!" Kenji hissed.

I wheeled around into an abandoned cul-de-sac. And if it wasn't enough bad luck, the stereo wouldn't turn off, and N.W.A.'s 'Fuck tha Police' blasted through the sound system.

"Great, we're trapped!" Kenji said, "And with Fuck tha Police as our song..."

"Shut the hell up, Kenji..." Junpei muttered as we all sank into our seats to avoid being seen.

"Yo, that weed wasn't mine, right? Right guys?" Lee said.

"Shut up, Lee!" Minako hissed.

"I'm serious! This is a third strike for me, bro..." Lee said anxiously.

"I'm too soft for the slammer!" Quan cried.

"Let's get arrested, Quan, just don't cry!" Kenji hissed.

The cruiser passed by, missing us, since, by some stroke of good luck, I had hit the side window, blotting the car's view.

The tension broke. We all laughed loudly.

"Hahahaha! You were scared!" Junpei cried.

"No, you were scared!" Lee said.

"Naw, you, you, you, you and you were scared!" Minako said, pointing wildly to everyone.

We went out and Quan repaired the car.

Junpei pointed to an old, abandoned house, "You guys know how many abandoned buildings we have in this part of Iwatodai? I mean, how are we suppose to 'take pride' in our city with shit like that next door? And does the city tear it down? No, they're too busy building bars, casinos and taking money from the people."

"Shut your preachin' ass up, nobody gives a shit." Kenji said as she inspected the gun.

"Well, did anyone give a shit when that ghost killed that guy in that abandoned house?" Junpei said sharply.

"Oh yeah! I had a ghost dream that I gouged my eyes out to prevent looking at a book of doom. Nothing important, just wanted to report that." Pink said casually.

"Well, they caught her, didn't they?" Kenji asked.

"Of course not." I said.

"Yo Quan, how are those repairs holding up?!" Lee asked impatiently.

"If you want to shut up and help me, I'd like it." Quan said.

"Man, I'm not going in that piece of shit again. It's a deathtrap." Lee whispered.

"I really think Quan's mom is trying to kill him!" Junpei said.

"Yeah, but she is just too fine! She can kill me!" Kenji said.

Everyone laughed.

"Don't talk shit about my mom or my fucking car! I can hear everything!" Quan said.

Lee snorted, "Check out Double-oh-Quan."

After that, Quan managed to get the car working. We went a few rounds and ran over a hobo before going back home.

That night, I had no dreams.

All was well. For now.

* * *

**_A/N: Done. Please review! Quota must be met before any updates happen. Hope you guys understand. Again, please, if you're skilled in TvTropes, help DoA out_**!

**_Q/A:_**

**_Night: Oh yes. In fact, they train Elder in the Dark Arts. For Guardian, he and Elder are friends, while Sensei... They're different. _**Well, in his later fights, he mit **_use them. Might. _**

**_Radaketor: Huh? What about Lee x Quan?_**

**_Kaijeno: No._**

**_DeathArcana: Thanks bro! Always good to promote the Philippines. Also, I can't edit out your review. The settings won't allow it._**

**_Hoshi: Yup. I kinda hate her._**

**_Vince: Not yet, I suppose. There is no MinaxMina relationship just yet._**

**_Guest (asking about Aigis): I despise her since she's unrealistic and many more. A robot becoming a human and gaining an ego made Persona 3 a big fat joke. And, no, I won't waste my time mentioning her in my story, sorry. But Koromaru is there. _**

**_MoM: Use a Persona!_**


	52. Reconciliation

**_A/N: Hey guys. Finally glad someone troped my Tv Trope article. It looks nice now. Please help it out if you can! You're all free to view it!_**

* * *

**_(1/12/11)_**

**_Saturday..._**

It was back to school for all of us and the energy was high as the sky. Everyone kept chatting loudly while Minako and I talked about the meaning of life.

"Well, other girls be like, 'OMG, I like him, but why doesn't he like me?!'" Minako said with a faux annoying girly voice, "And I'm just like, 'why am I always hungry?'"

I laughed, "Me too." I said, "I wonder... Why don't I get fat? I wouldn't mind that one bit..."

"That's nonsense." Lee dismissed, "Life ain't nothing but bitches and money. Take that new student up front..." He pointed to a glasses wearing girl. Luckily, Fuuka went out on errand and Lee liked to amuse himself by looking at girls.

"Dude, don't go for chicks with glasses, they tend to be really shy." Kenji said.

The girl looked sensually at Lee.

"The same shy girl who just eye-fucked the hell outta me." Lee purred lustily,

Several classmates on the front row looked at Lee.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Kenji apologized for Lee, "Hey, Lee, why don't you say it louder, I don't think the Principal heard you from his office."

"Alright, look Kenji... I'm sorry... Okay? I'm sorry that I'm not sorry, okay? I'm not even gonna apologize here- I'm a cocksman!" Lee cried.

Several classmates stopped talking to give Lee offended looks.

"He suffers from Tourette's." I explained hastily.

"Dude, how do you even get girls to like you?" Junpei cried.

"Well, not all like me... Take one of my ex's before..." Lee recounted, "Literally after I broke up with her, she ruffied me into having sex with her and she gave me S.T.D.'s... well, at least Taylor Swift would just write a song about me." Lee joked.

Just then, Ms. Toriumi entered.

"Order!" Ms. Toriumi cried, "People, order!"

"I'll have a bowl of stir fried noodles!" Junpei cried.

"A Hagakure bowl!" Kenji cried.

"Yo, I'll have some sashimi on the go!" Lee said.

"So not funny." Ms. Toriumi muttered.

We had regualr classes then. I excused myself to go to the bathroom and after I concluded my business, and went in the room, where we waited for the teacher, when someone unexpected came in and greeted me.

"Minato! Jolly good, old bean!" Cato greeted.

Somewhat awkwardly, I greeted back, "Hello Cato."

He went forward to me, "Listen... There's something I have to say to you in front of all these people..." He said with a venomously menacing voice, even grabbing my collar.

"Yeah!?" I said, looking nervously at everyone, who stopped talking to listen.

Cato got on one knee, "Can you ever forgive me for being a jerk to you and your friends?"

I was confused, and so was everyone else present, "What?"

"Yes, indeed. I recently came from a trip from Nepal, where I met the esteemed Dalai Llama... I found my self in the beautiful mountains and converted to Buddhism there. I've found a much more spiritual calling and donated millions of yen out of my trillion dollar inheritance." Cato said, "And that was not enough to atone it, so I thought it be best if I came here to apologize."

"Well, yeah-" I began.

"Justaminute!" Minako cried loudly, "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I already told you." Cato said patiently.

"Oh yeah..." Minako said. Cato went down on one knee and kissed her hand.

"Quit slobbering my hand, Fresh!" She cried as she slapped Cato.

"Sorry," Cato apologized, "But, Minato... Would it be fine for us to... Hang out?" He mumbled. I guess this awkward request was Cato's way of trying to be nice.

"Okay," I said with little hesitation.

The teacher entered as Cato went out.

After classes, we went to Le Pinque.

Cato was already there, laughing jovially with Junpei, Quan, Lee, Kenji and everyone else.

"Oh, wotcher Minato!" Cato greeted, "Come and have a seat! Frappes are on me!"

We took a seat and accepted the frappes Cato bought.

"Hey, Cato, remember that one time we jacked you Lamborghini?" Lee asked loudly.

"Yep." Cato said forcefully, "And thanks. I did get quite a lot of money out of the Insurance company."

"Or when we jizzed in your sun tan lotion?" Junpei laughed.

Cato winced and looked nauseous.

"Or that time Minato rolled you down a hill and you got covered in poo?" Quan recounted.

"That's great. Cato, how was your trip to Nepal?" Fuuka asked.

"It was splendid, thank you for asking." Cato said politely, "Sometimes I wonder why I didn't go there years ago. Would have been a better choice than in England or any opulent place. Why, Hide, Hortez, Michonne and Yo renounced me as their friend after I told them of my conversion."

"You know, that's bullshit." Minako said eith disgust, "People shouldn't judge or condemn people for what they believe in. To me, I think you can believe in anything you want to."

"Yes, well..." Cato fidgeted, "I must admit, I fell in love there. I'd like to spend my twilight years there in peace."

"Cato, you're a straight up guy." I said.

"Yup, that's Cato for you. Except when he acts all prudish." Quan said, putting a hand on Cato's shoulder.

"You two seem close." Minako said.

"Of course. After all, we were chums back in the days with Pink. Her hair, of course, was blonde back then." Cato said wistfully.

"Hey! I'm a natural pinkette!" Pink protested.

"I'm sure you are." Cato said, "Sadly, our old school would not approve of our behavior, especially when we hazed a student and he... Well, he was mortally injured."

"Yeah, it was a total shitstorm..." Quan muttered, "And my mum spanked me so hard, I reckon my right buttock never felt the same way again."

"Your mum spanks hard, eh?" Kenji mused, "Interesting..." Rio promotly smacked him.

"We also were cruel. Hide actually forced a neophyte to engage coitus with a lamb. Of course, he just locked them up in a room with a condom. Most would wank off and say they did the lamb... But he actually intimidated the neophyte to do it."

"Coitus?" Lee said quizzically.

"Coitus. Sexual intercourse? Edify yourself, sir!" Cato said as we roared in laughter.

"I need to use the loo." Cato excused himself and went to the bathroom.

"What's your take on Cato?" Lee nudged me after Cato left.

"Well, I do believe in second chances." I said, "He does seem sincere."

"What if he's just doing this to punk us?" Junpei suggested.

"Yeah, I don't believe that son of a bitch one bit." Quan said loudly.

"Right." Pink agreed.

"Come on guys, we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, weren't you two like that too?" Minako said.

Quan and Pinky stiffened and nodded.

"You too, Lee? So you can escape your past?" Minako said.

Lee smirked wryly.

Cato went back. Naoto entered at the same time.

"Minato-san! I have some questions to ask." Naoto said, putting her Black Cloak on the hanger and looked at everyone.

"Relax Naoto. They're my friends. Whatever I know, they'll eventually know as well." I said. Cato smiled brightly.

Naoto nodded, "My client wanted to know about Holy Swords and I figured I should ask you."

"Okay, ask me."

"About this sword called 'Deus Xiphos'." Naoto said, "And one called 'Lucifer's Blade'."

"Deus Xiphos, roughly translated, means 'God's Blade'. If I'm right, the first wielder would have been David, second King of Israel, directly opposing Saul, who wielded its brother-blade, Lucifer's Blade. Both can take any appearance their masters will them to be. Like Saul, he preferred a spear, as opposed to David's sword. Actually, that's what corrupted Saul. He took Lucifer's Blade after massacring an Amalekite village. Even though it preferred wholesale slaughter, the blade told him not to follow God's will. But Deus Xiphos only stays with the direct descendants of their owners, unless they want peopleto touch it. The Messiah wielded it as well, except in staff form. He gave it to Peter on the night he was arrested, and used it to cut off the High Priest's servant. After that, Peter entrusted it to Messiah's wife, Magdalene. To which it was handed down from generation to generation."

"Wait, you're suggesting the Messiah was married?" Cato mused, "To the prostitute, Magdalene?"

My blood boiled defensively, probably due to my ancestral blood, "She was NOT a prostitute! OKAY!?" I shouted loudly as everyone cringed.

"Oh, my apologies!" Cato said sheepishly, "I forget my place. I apologize for speaking out of turn."

"No worries..." I mumbled.

"But I thought... Messiah was married...?" Naoto whispered.

"Let's not get into that right now..." I said placidly, "We ought to stick by the topic here. Magdalene was a direct descendant of the Royal House of the tribe of Benjamin. It's such an unfortunate misconception of her as a prostitute."

"But the Bible-" Kenji began, but I stopped him.

"Please... We'll be all day here if we debate on it... Let me just say that the Bible was not faxed directly from Heaven or anything. It wasn't hand delivered by Angels either... The Bible was man-made by Church Leaders who wanted to control the people by using religion. You'll be surprised how many unpublished Gospels there are, but I digress. Magdalene was NOT a prostitute. That was a lie spread by zealots who knew nothing of their history. She was a Princess. And as such, Messiah was a Prince as well. In fact, he was the rightful King of Israel. Both could wield it. The sword proved testiment to that."

"I see..." Naoto mused, "So... If it were to happen that... the true owner of the Deus Xiphos sword were to die...?"

"Strange question, but yeah. If 'he' were to die, and have no direct descendants, then the sword may be destroyed by the sword owner's killer."

"I see!" Naoto said brightly, "I thank you for your aid!" She then zipped out and took her Black Cloak with her.

We were then staring awkwardly at each other, until Lee spoke up.

"Messiah... was married?" He whispered again, echoing it once more.

I shrugged, "Would it be too bad if He were?"

Lee pursed his lips and shrugged, "I guess not. He died for this world, I think he can have any girl he wants. Besides, I don't think being the Son of God would ruin His chances with Magdalene."

"I don't believe that God exists at all." Hwoarang said, handing me a plate of burger steak.

"And why not?" I asked, chomping ravenously on the steak.

"Well, you walk out on the street and I realize that He doesn't exist. If He did, then tell me... Why are there so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If He truly existed, then there would be neither suffering nor pain. I just can't imagine a God who would allow all of that to happen." Hwoarang said. I didn't respond because I didn't want to start a fight.

Then, I saw a hungry man outside. I remembered my Theology lessons and recalled them.

"You know what? Chefs don't exist either." I said, munching on a bite of meat.

He seemed surprise, "You high or something? I'm a chef and I just cooked that meal up."

"Uh, no." I said defiantly, "Chefs don't exist because there are millions of people hungry in this world, like that man outside." I pointed outside.

"Yeah, but Chefs DO exist! That's what happens when people don't come to me." Hwoarang said.

"Exactly!" I cried, "That's the point. God DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and look for help. That's why there so much suffering bourne by this world.

He looked amazed, "Mind blown!" He cried, "Tell me more, tell me more!"

I obliged and began a long talk about it. The boys were as eager as well. After our talks, we escorted Hwoarang to the nearest chapel, with Lili present, and was baptized on that day. Pinky was very happy as well and got baptized too.

Hwoarang, Lili, Lee, Minako, Junpei, Rio and I went ahead.

"Man, do I feel good!" Hwoarang cried, "I always insulted those isahang salam's back in Korea for converting, but hot damn, do I feel good! I might even give that Wuan kid a break."

"It's Quan, dear." Lili said patiently, "Oh, I am so glad you converted, my dear! Oh, Daddy will be so pleased!"

"Heh, will he finally allow me in your house?" Hwoarang joked as Lili slapped him in the arm.

"You're welcome anytime!" Lili cried as Pinky entered the cafe looking like a happy elf.

"Wheeeeeeee!" Pinky squealed as she jumped up and down.

"What's going on, Pink?" I asked.

"Hey, guess what? Quanny gave me 1,000 yen just to climb a tree!" Pinky said triumphantly.

"Pinky, you dummy, he just did that so he can see your panties!" Minako cried.

"Is that so?" Pinky said innocently, "Thank God I wasn't wearing any!"

"Pinky! Why'd you let Quan-" Rio began but her voice was drowned by Hwoarang's outraged cry.

"What?!" Hwoarang shouted as he went out, "What'd he do?!"

"He gave me 1,000 yen to climb up a tree and see my undies, Hwoa-oppa!" Pinky said cheerily, "Good thing I wasn't wearing any!"

"Son of a bitch!" Hwoarang spat, "Using my own moves against me! I'm gonna murder him!"

"Hwoarang, dear, please do not curse." Lili chided, "You've recently converted."

"Lili, sorry..." Hwoarang said, "I mean... I'llmurder that nerd and then go to confession with Reverend Ralf!"

"Hey, don't be so mean to Quan!" Pinky frowned.

"You shut up as well!" Hwoarang snapped, "I ought to bump your head with that loser to see which one has the smaller brain! Go wear some underwear now, before I make you eat it all!"

"You are so mean!" Pinky cried as she went upstairs.

"Don't sass me, girl!" Hwoarang shouted after her.

Then, Quan entered the store.

"Hey peop- H-Hey Hwoa-jiā! L-Looking bitching, bro! Hehe, go forth and may you bear fruit!" Quan said nervously.

"Cut the crap, schmuck guan-guang!" Hwoarang shouted, "Come here!"

Quan gulped as Hwoarang kicked his shoes, and something snapped back. We saw that his boots revealed two very sharp and gleaming heel knives on each boot.

Quan backed away, "Uh, I remembered I have things to do!" He then ran away.

"Come back here, nerd!" Hwoarang shouted as he ran after him, "I want to talk to you!"

"You're going to Hell if you kill me!" Quan threatened.

"Worth it!" Hwoarang shouted.

Pinky raised an eyebrow as she went down, "What happened?"

We laughed at Pinky's naïveness.

Hwoarang went back complaining about the shin-kick Quan gave him. Quan himself went back and was covered in scratches and wounds to his face. He was pretty surly, but acted normal.

Later, we went home and after hanging out with Minako, I decided to sleep. I mean, I WAS about to sleep, when a knock eminated from Narda. I hurried to open it. When I did, a girl wearing tangerine orange pajamas entered the room imperiously.

It was Minako. With her was a pillow, a blanket and a Teddie bear. She immediately jumped at my bed.

"Hey Minato." She said.

I put my hands at my hips and looked at her.

"I'm gonna sleep over tonight. Auntie went to the next city for canasta and to visit a wake. Also, I don't want to sleep in that big house alone."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh you... You got a thousand reasons up your silky sleeves." I said as I laid at the bed, "I know you just want to sleep next to me." I said with a sarcastic smile, "Right? I'll allow you. But do know that lots of girls kill for the honor."

"Oooh! Minato, you stud! Thanks!" She said in baby talk, hugging my head as she tickled me, so much that I couldn't help but almost peeing my pants. Note: almost.

"Hahahaha! Hey, quit it! Hahahaha!" I laughed as she got on top of me and tickled my armpits roughly, "Hahahaha! Why can't you sleep by yourself? You're already grown up!"

She pushed me and pouted as she lay beside me, "Fine, I'll sleep at the floor then..."

"Awww, Minako!" I said, "You're my best friend. If you want, I'll sleep on the floor. On the chair, sitting up. If you ask for it, I'll sleep on the roof, or even the bathroom. On a field with a thunder rod sleeping hat during a thunderstorm. Fine by me!" I said cheerfully as I threw my pillows and a blanket on the floor and unfolded my couch futon, "Just so my beloved Hamuko would sleep comfortably. Anything, just for you." I said, looking into her eyes, which Junpei warned me not to do, since he heard red eyed, redheaded girls can steal souls.

"Thank you, Minato!"

I nodded and smiled.

"Minato?" She squeaked.

"What?" I said.

"...the lights..." She moaned.

"You know I can't sleep without the lights." I grunted.

She clasped her hands together, "Puh-puh-puh-puhlease?" She did with her puppy dog eyes.

"Ohhhh... don't give me those puppy dog eyes... Okay, fine..." I groaned as I turned off the lights.

"Hehe! Thank you Minato!" She said.

"Sure."

"Night-night!" She kissed my cheek as she went to bed.

I stared at the ceiling, "Minako?"

"Yes?" She said.

"If this Prince Charming guy doesn't go for you... I'll force myself to fall in love with you..."

She threw a pillow at me, "Playa!"

"Hahaha, love you!" I said.

"Weh!" she said as she rolled to her side, "Silver tongued moron."

I laughed as I laid down. For some reason, I felt like looking at her again.

I took my camera and decided to picture her. She looked stunning without her ponytail and I felt happy to do this. I snapped on the shutter and the sound and flash woke her up.

"What's up, man?!" She said angrily, "How can I get my beauty sleep if you keep picturing me like the paparazzi to Julia Robertson wearing a thong?!"

I laughed as we fell asleep that night.

Would it ever get any better than this? Knowing Minako, it would, very soon.

* * *

**_A/N: Finished! Sorry of it was short. Please review! Also, for those wondering, I usually update between 15-20 reviews. Sorry if it seems overbearing, but that's how I roll._**

**_Also, for the guests, could you guys please write an alias at least? It's beginning to get harder to distinguish you from each other._**

**_Also a question to the perceptive ones here...who in the cast was the most suspicious? _**

**_Q/A:_**

**Radaketor: Yes, if you didn't get it, it was a joke. Just a joke.**

**Ace: Oh dude... Minako will know it very soon. Except of course, when 'it' happens.**

**MoM: Depends on you. **

**Guest (Moar! Gimme moar MinaxMina!): sure thing... But first, give me MOAR REVIEWS!**

**Guest (Ai-chan hate): Oh please... Don't get me started on Aigis. Sure, np.**

**Hanaho: At least 15-20. Though more would be welcomed and would make updates faster.**


	53. Battle with the Lord of Time

**A/N: hey guys! Please check my Tv Trope article, on my profile, click the link!**

**I guess you all heard about Cory Montieth, right? Always sad to see a fellow Canadian dead. Though I hate Glee, I do feel sorry for his fiancee, Lea, who is as talented as Cory was.**

**It is the living, not the dead, who truly suffer at one's departure. Therefore, I see it fit for us to say goodbye the Persona 3 way...**

**_"Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey. _**

**_One is always aware that it lies in wait. _**

**_Though life is merely a journey to the grave, _**

**_it must not be undertaken without hope. _**

**_Only then will a traveler's story live on, _**

**_cherished by those who bid him farewell."_**

**Rest in Peace, Cory... or Finn Hudson. You will not be forgotten, especially by those who's lives you touched.**

**Well, sorry for that. Needed to say something, since he was a great actor and a great role model. Loved him in Glee, as intolerable as the show was.**

**Onward with the story! The longest so far at 5000+.**

* * *

**(1/13/11)**

**Sunday...**

I woke up the next day and found that Minako already left to go home. I took that opportunity to exercise with Akihiko and Junpei. Although Junpei didn't last long, he did manage to really tone his buttocks into shape. After a hundred or more crunches, I decided to quit exercising thirty minutes in and went to my room. I took off my clothes and underwear and shut the curtains. I then admired my naked body. I looked quite tone and buff. I decided to take a bath as well. I went to my bathroom and opened it.

Something inside pushed at the same time I pulled and fell right on top of me in a wet heap.

It was Minako, freshly bathed, but also as naked as I was.

We literally stared at each other as our bodies began to stick together. Her eyes were shocked, dismayed and, weirdly, beautiful.

My skin was riddled with goosebumps as her breathing, misted by the wintery air, made me tingle.

"OH MY GOD!" We shrieked at the same time.

"WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!" She cried.

"WHY ARE YOU WET?!" I shrieked as well.

We both ran for cover.

"Is it your habit to come to other people's house and use their bathrooms?!" I cried.

"I like your bathroom's hot shower and bath!" She cried, "Besides, you do it too!" She shouted, covering herself with a towel.

"No I don't!"

Minako thought for a while, "Maybe that was a dream...?"

I stopped, "You dream about me?"

"Almost every night..." She said, before blushing, "I mean... Sometimes only! A-Anyway, get out!"

"But this is my room!"

"GET OUT!"

"Fine. Fine!" I huffed and grabbed a pair of boxers and went down. I threw some clothes on that Leah prepared for me.

I was in a bad mood, but I didn't let it get to me. Minako went down and ate her bowl of Froot Loops Leah prepared for her.

She ate her Froot Loops and raised an eyebrow at me, "Hmph... Pervert." She sniffed as she ate her bowl.

"What was that?" I said.

"Nothing. I said you're handsome." She winked, "So... Uh... Did you see anything?" She asked nervously.

I smiled, "Maybe."

"Really?"

"Yeah... I did."

She gasped, and pointed her fork at me, "If I find out you told anyone, I will destroy you."

I laughed, "Who the hell would I tell it too? Koromaru?" I said, scratching the Shiba-Inu's ears and patted his head.

"I'm really serious." Minako said gravely, "You tell anyone, _at all_, it will be your end."

"Minako, why are you so insecure?" I asked, "Your body is perfect."

I realized that might have come out the wrong way.

"Perv." She gasped, "Minato, really!"

"Geez, I'm sorry." I said, "I didn't mean it."

"Oh." She said with a flat tone, "I see... Well, 'scuse me if my body isn't good enough for you."

I sighed. Here we go _yet again_, "Minako... I'm saying your body is perfect and beautiful, in a nonsexual way. Even if you're not pretty, to me, you already are."

She looked at me, "Awww... Well, sorry." She smiled, "But I'm gonna ask you a question, straight up. Promise not to get wielded out?"

"I promise." I swore.

"Okay... Here it goes..." She winced, "Minato... Would you, uh, go to town with me?"

"Sure. You need to buy groceries or anything?" I asked.

She facepalmed herself, "I don't mean going to town-town..."

"Minako, we've known each other for some time now. Don't beat around the bush and just say it."

"Okay..." She took a deep breath, "Would you ever consider having... _sex_, with me?"

I was eating a spoonful of Froot Loops when she asked and I choked on it, forcing me to swallow most of the uneaten cereal. Some of it came out of my nose though.

"Minako... Where is this coming from?!" I coughed And wiped my nose.

"Well, it's been bothering me to ask for quite some time now and I needed to ask it." She mumbled, "Would you?"

I looked straight into her beautiful eyes. I looked right into the window of her soul, two bright red orbs that sparked with life.

"Minako, I-"

Of course, Deus ex Machina happened again, "Sup dudes?!" Junpei's annoyingly cheerful voice cried from upstairs. Koromaru hurried to greet the smiling buffoon.

"So, what's up, MinaSquared?" Junpei winked.

"MinaSquared...?" Minako said dubiously.

"You know... An allusion to TaylorSquared." Junpei said as he patted Koromaru, "Anyways, I had a walk with Chidori and Maxi. Was fun, though she kept shouting German words to Maxi. Let me see... Koromaru, hinsetzen!"

Koromaru sat down.

"Haha, still got it." Junpei muttered.

Then, Leah came in with food, followed by Akihiko, who was outside working on the pool.

"Alright. Here we are... Two deluxe bacon sandwiches for Aki, with pancake as the bread, a plate of hotdog pyramid for Junpei, a pancake obelisk for Minako and one for Minato as well." Leah said as she poured dogfood for Koromaru, which he ate graciously.

Leah sat down and worked on her gun tuning.

"Thanks mom!" Junpei joked.

"Oh stop it, you." Leah smiled, "Anyways, what's wrong with MinaSquared?"

"MinaSquared, wha-" I said exasperatedly, "Did you guys just decide on nicknaming us?"

"Well, yeah." Akihiko said, wolfing down his pancakes, "Seems appropriate." I did the same, so did Junpei and Minako. Leah just looked at us.

"What's wrong, Leah?" I said, chewing at the same time.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Leah chided, "Well, it's just that I've realized that I've made the same meals you guys are eating now for almost a year... Time does fly, huh?"

"Really? I never noticed." Junpei said.

Akihiko tapped him on the shoulder, "We weren't expecting you to."

"Hey! I resent that!" Junpei cried.

"Well, we're one big happy family." Akihiko said.

"Which reminds me... Leah, have you thought of having kids with Akihiko-senpai?" Junpei asked.

"Junpei! You can't just throw that on people!" Minako cried.

"Look who's talking..." I mumbled.

"Don't you start!" Minako warned.

"What did he-"

"Nothing! He meant nothing!" Minako said quickly.

"Why do I need kids? You four are doing a good job as my kids." Leah said, patting Junpei's head.

"I see, but Koromaru doesn't count." Akihiko said.

"I was talking about you." Leah said, "You're basically my first born child."

"What?!"

"Who fixes your bed? Who sets the table? Who warms your milk?" Leah questioned.

"Uh, the maid?" Akihiko said as if it were obvious.

"After you married me!" Leah cried.

"You." Akihiko said dejectedly.

"See? You guys are my kids." Leah said, "Except you're actually allowed to have sex with me."

"I see. Later then, '_mom_'?" Akihiko joked with a wink.

"Wow. That wasn't oddly disturbing at all." Minako muttered sarcastically.

"I guess we are, Leah-nee." Junpei said, "What were you two gonna do?" Junpei asked randomly to Minako.

"Well, I was gonna invite Minato to Pinky's before you came in, Junpei." Minako said.

"Can I c-"

"No." Minako said flatly as she stood up.

"Thought so." Junpei winced.

We said goodbye and went out.

Minako and I visited Pinky's, where she let us in her house upstairs.

"Hey guys. I can't be around for a while, since Quanny and I have a date today, but do have some pasties." Pinky said while Lili came by and offered us a tray of pasties.

"Lili made them-" Pinky began, but Hwoarang, who was tuning a shotgun nearby, threw an empty can at her, "Sigh... I mean _Lili-eonni_."

Lili smiled as she gave us more scones.

It was a bite of pure Heaven. Lili had great skill as a pâtissier, that even Pinky stopped frowning at her for a while. Hwoarang was generally less rude than he usually was, likely the scones at work.

We sat in Pink's living room with Minako with and Lili. Hwoarang was still tuning the SPAS shotgun.

Pink's cellphone beeped as she took a deep breath after reading her message. She nervously went towards Hwoarang with a soda, "Have some more soda, Hwoarang-oppa." She squeaked so nervously, it was barely audible. In fact, Hwoarang didn't even hear her.

Pinky was oddly distracted, fidgeting and acting nervous in front of him, "Oppa...?"

"Yeah?" Hwoarang muttered as he used a ramrod brush to clean his shotgun barrel.

"I brought you another one." She said louder as she placed a soda can on the table.

Hwoarang opened it and took a deep gulp. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he said, "Alright, waddya need?"

"N-Nothing!" Pink said, "Um... I have a date with Quanny today and I was wondering if I could go...?" She winced.

The air became tense. We expected Hwoarang to angrily protest and Lili placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Hwoarang merely sniffed and continued his work, "Isn't he a bit too old for you?"

"Well, he's a senior, I'm a senior..." Pinky mumbled, "Same age, Oppa."

"I kinda thought you hated Chinamen?" Hwoarang mumbled, breaking a bit of his focus.

"He barely even lived there." Pinky squeaked, "He lived with us in Korea, remember? And what about Asian Supremacy you always advocated?"

"I wasn't even home, remember?" Hwoarang muttered, "I was at the Korean border, getting bombed by the MiG's that North Korea bought from your boyfriend's country..."

"Oh yeah..." Pinky mumbled, "But Quanny's practically Korean! He listens to 2ANE1!"

"Hmph. Point taken." Hwoarang admitted.

"And he's right outside..." She squeaked, "And he brought his Maserati!" She added, to Hwoarang's approval.

"Alright." He cocked the shotgun with one hand, "Bring that sucker in. I'll meet him- Alone." He added when Pinky followed him.

"My love, please be nice to Quan... he's... important to Pinky." Lili said.

Hwoarang drew a circle above his head like a halo and set down the shotgun and took a 10.5 golfclub instead, to Lili's exasperation. She promptly went back to the kitchen.

Hwoarang opened the door, revealing Quan wearing a nice red shirt and sporting an impish smile from his snaggletoothed mouth.

"Who the _HELL_ are you?" Hwoarang barked.

Minako nudged me, "Not very nice, is he?"

Pinky merely giggled, "Oppa's way of being nice is not attacking outright. I think they're getting along!"

Quan, on the other hand, looked terrified, "Good morning, Hwoarang-san. I'm Quan."

"What do you want?" Hwoarang growled.

"I'm here to take Pinky out." He said.

"What!?" Hwoarang said as he put his ear closer.

"I'm here to take Pinky out!" Quan said louder.

"How old are you?" He demanded, looking Quan head to toe.

"I'm 17, sir-"

"Motherfucker, you're at least 40!" Hwoarang said dismissively, "And don't call me 'sir'! Makes me feel like an old geezer, like my Sarge. Who I beat to death with this golfclub." He said, pointing to the bloodstains on the club.

Quan gulped.

"Show me some ID. Now!" Hwoarang snapped.

"Oh, uh, I don't have any on me right now..." Quan said sheepishly.

"Oh, you don't have any on ya- get your Chinese ass up on that wall!" Hwoarang barked as he grabbed Quan and pressed him on the wall.

"What's your problem?! You young Power Ranger punks think you know it all!" Hwoarang muttered as he frisked Quan, "You got any joints on you?!"

"N-No..." Quan said fearfully.

"Blunt?"

"N-No..."

"Opium?"

"N-No!"

"PCP? Sherm?" Hwoarang demanded.

"N-No way!"

"You look like a sherm-head!" He spat, "You smoke that shit? You trying to get my sister high?" Hwoarang demanded as he checked Quan's wallet.

"Yo, I got a MasterCard and 10k yen there, it better still be there when I check..."

"Shut up, kid!" Hwoarang barked.

"Hwoarang, who's at the door?" A slurred voice asked. It was Pink's uncle.

"It's Quan!" He shouted as the middle aged man went down.

"Who's Quan?" He asked.

"Here to take yeong out." Hwoarang said.

"What you doing here?" Their uncle demanded.

"I'm here to take his sister out." Quan said.

"What's your name?" Uncle asked.

"Quan."

"I heard this moron say your name." He said, "How old are you?"

"17."

"Shit, you at least 30." Uncle said, as Quan's ears turned pink, and left.

Hwoarang jutted his chin, "Can you fight?"

"Yes!" Quan said eagerly.

"You can fight?!" Hwoarang said incredulously, "Look at you, Chinaman, you can't fight! Look at 'chu!" He provoked Quan by jerking his head in a challenging way.

"Cut it out!" Quan cried.

"No, shut up, I wanna know if you could protect my sister if someone disses her!" Hwoarang said, "If you can't fight, she can't go."

Hwoarang took out his shotgun aimed it at him, "If someone aims at you, what do you do?"

Quan mumbled, but did not reply.

"Why you scared, kid? Ain't never seen a gun befo'?"

Quan shook fearfully. We didn't interfere though. It was too hilarious. Besides, we knew Quan got threatened with a gun more than once at Lee's hands.

"You some Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow looking motherfucker!" He said, "You sing?"

"A bit..." Quan said fearfully.

"D'you know 'Stand by me'?" Hwoarang asked, "Oh come now, you don't need to be the writer of the song to know the lyrics, bitch! You know, '_When the night has come'_!" He sang.

"_And the land is daaaark_!" Quan sang with Hwoarang.

"_And the moooon is the only light we'll see_!" Hwoarang sang, using the shotgun as a mic.

"_No I won't, be afraid,_" Quan took off his shoe and used it as a mic.

"_No I-I-I won't shed a tear_," Hwoarang sang.

"_Just as long as you stand, stand by me_!"

"_Oh darlin', darlin' stand by me, oh won't you staaand, stand by me..._" They sang together.

"_Stand by me_!" The duo finished together. We had no other thought than to applaud them. They were actually really good.

Hwoarang patted Quan in the back, "We should have a session some time, kid. We could be '_Voice Boulevard_'!" Hwoarang said with pizzazz as Quan's eyes dazzled with the thought of fame and fortune,"But I still don't like you. But I will allow you to go out with my sister, Quan." Hwoarang said.

"Wait... You said my name right!" Quan cried.

"No I didn't, Ruan." Hwoarang said dismissively, "Look, kid, have my sister home by 10 PM. If she's not home by then, I'm locked, loaded and out hunting your punk ass down!" Hwoarang said, "Speak up, you hear me?"

"Yes."

"I'm going with him..." Pink's uncle supplied, "Not to kill you, but for a beer run. So by all means, be late."

"What he said." Hwoarang said, "Except that last part, if you value your life."

Quan beamed.

"And if we're hunting you down, I'll be shooting you point blank." Hwoarang said.

"Hwoarang!" Lili said, intervening, "Quan-kun, forgive Hwoarang and his silly Uncle. Hwoarang scratched his head.

"You a virgin?" He whispered to Quan.

"Y-Yes...?" Quan said, but it sounded more like a question.

"Keep it that way. Ain't no intercourse happening tonight!" Hwoarang said.

"Uh, Quan, that's a nice shirt!" Lili said.

"You ever made love to a man?" Hwoarang inquired.

Quan looked sharply at me, "Never in my life."

"Good. I will personally kill you with a serrated knife if you cheat on my sis with a man. Or I will force you to disembowel yourself, cut off your head and present it as a gift to the tombs of our ancestors."

"Uh, Quan, you smell nice!" Lili said to dispel Hwoarang, "Enjoy your date!"

Lili ushered them out, but Pinky turned back and hugged Lili, "Thank you, Lili-eonni."

Lili was stunned and sat down, "Pinky likes me now..."

"I guess her hatred of you stemmed from Hwoarang-san's maltreatment of Quan." Minako said.

"Of course!" Lili cried, "Hwoarang, be nicer to Quan."

"I'll think about it."

Lili got ,ad and they argued loudly.

"Well, I guess we ought to leave as well." I said, "Question, was that really your Sargeant's blood on that club?"

"What? Hell no. I spilled a bit of ketchup on it a few hours ago. It's funny how things work out." Hwoarang said With a smile.

After accepting more pastries from Lili, we went out.

"Minako, um..." I began, "What do you think of Quan and Hwoarang?"

"Me? Well, they're a pretty good a cappella duo." She said.

"True. True." I admitted as we walked through the snowy sidewalk.

Deciding to make small talk, I asked, "Minako, have you ever had a boyfriend before?"

Minako mused on it for a while, "Not really, no. I'm a free spirited mare, Minato, not some trophy for someone. You can't tame my unbeatable spirit. Besides, most men prefer cats than a lioness."

"I'm not like other men." I said smartly.

She laughed, "That's cause you're my best friend."

After that statement, I felt a bit happy and sad. Wierd feeling.

"Thank you?" I said, "Minako... Uh, since you asked, I'm also gonna ask..."

"Yes?" Minako said.

"Would you go out with me?"

"Of course I would. We go out all the time." She said.

My faith in humanity was lost in that moment. Suddenly, I felt something in my bones, beckoning me somewhere else. It was late afternoon and Minako and I were already upon the front lawn. The stormy clouds moved in from the uttermost east and cast a black overcast.

My instincts told me to go to the top of the Iwatodai hill. I just felt it in my bones. And I obeyed that feeling, since my instincts never failed me.

"Minako, uh, why don't you head on inside?" I said, "I forgot my, uh, my wallet at Pinky's." I said as I ran towards the hill.

"Moron, you're going the wrong way!" Minako cried, which I ignored.

The rain began to pound on me, but I pressed onward. I traversed the treacherous streets in the middle of the torrent and negotiated the dense underbrush at the foot of the hill, climbing it will expert hands and leaping through the rocks with my athletic skills.

I eventually made my way to the top and at that point, it seemed like the Storm released all its fury on earth, in a futile attempt to drown it.

There, waiting for me, was a familiar face. The very same one who tried to kill me many times already.

"You're here..." He said with an amused voice, "I knew that mutual link was useful. I gather you know what will happen next?" He said as he pointed Lucifer's Blade at me.

I summoned Deus Xiphos and turned it into a Katana. I knew that using it in rapier form was suicide, "What _WILL_ happen next is you eating my blade."

"No." He said and I dropped my guard.

"Well, I suppose you didn't ask me to come here to have milk and tea."

"No, I didn't. I came here with an offer." He growled.

"Tell me your message." I said.

He made a grand sweep of his arms, "Earth and water."

I smirked and raised an eyebrow, "You made me run all the way up this hill, in the middle of a storm wearing winter clothes and freezing in the January winds for earth and water?"

He pointed his sword at me, "If you value the lives of your people and do not want to utter and complete genocide of your pathetic race, then listen very carefully..." He said fiercely, "The Elder takes anything he wants. He has a Guardian so strong, the ground shakes when he walks, a Sensei so smart, he can dry a river with a match and me, the Elder, so strong, I can kill a thousand men with a swing of my arm. All I ask is a token of earth and water to show your submission and join our noble cause."

"Everyone thinks their cause is noble." I barked fiercely.

His smile faded, "Choose your words carefully, Minato, for you may wake up to find the very people you're trying to save to be annihilated."

I drew my sword up again.

"Madman..." He muttered through his teeth.

"You sacrifice the souls of countless innocents just to fight me, you insult my claim as the Messiah and you threaten the free people of the world with slavery and death... Oh yeah, I did choose my words carefully, Spawn of Lucifer... Perhaps you should have done exactly what you just said." I snarled, "If it's earth and water you want, you'll find plenty of it at the base on this hill after I'm done killing you."

"Let's go then." He challenged.

Without a second thought, we charged at each other.

Thunder cracked through the dark skies as we duelled to the death. With a lucky strike, I stabbed him through the belly, withdrew it and rolled away, leaving The Elder to bellow in pain.

Then, I noticed something wierd. That type of injury would have killed any lesser man, but Elder is neither lesser nor man, in my opinion. He just staggered back and looked down at his warm blood spilling from his open wound. His wounds were already knitting instantly, leaving me shocked as hell.

"Good try, Godling." He said silkily, "But I will break you eventually."

"That's fine. I have insurance. Besides, my soul has a three day warranty."

"Funny." Elder said mirthlessly.

I smiled, and remembered I couldn't defeat him alone... I needed help. And fast. "Oh yeah?" I equipped Thor, a feat I never did in a long time, and raised my sword to Heaven. Thunder cracked and striked my sword. I harnessed its energy and redirected it to Elder.

It struck the Elder square in the chest.

"Argh..." He moaned in pain, "You cheat... Coward!"

"No more than you do." I said coldly.

"Well then, let's see how far will your magicks take you." He rose up and I used the same trick again.

"Argh!" He bellowed as he fell back, "Stand and fight, coward!"

I had absolutely no thought of doing that. It might have been dishonorable doing that, but there was no way I could kill him by myself. Besides, using Personas is how I became the Messiah in the first place.

He made an amazing move, zipping past me at an unbelievably fast pace and got behind me.

I was surprised he didn't hit me from behind, but as soon as I turned, he hit me with a barrage of blows that I struggled to fight against.

He managed to knock me down and I thought really fast, "Norn!" I summoned the Guardians of Time and they hit him with a vortex of feral winds, knocking him away.

I got to my feet and changed again, this time to Siegfried. I hit Elder with a Vorpal Blade of Deus Xiphos, to which Elder's blood spurted from his face inside the hood and tore through his chest chest as though he had been slashed with Deus Xiphos a million times. He staggered backward and collapsed into a puddle of murky water with a great splash, mixing in the water with his scarlet blood, his sword dropped from his mutilated hands. I slipped and staggered from the ground and went to Elder, whose face inside the hood was now bleeding profusely, his white hands scrabbling at his blood-soaked chest. His breathing was labored as a hole in his chest bubbled with pink liquid with each breath he drew from his punctured lungs.

I was about to unhood him when something both amazing and terrible happened: His blood loss eased up, stopping almost instantly. Second, his wounds knit with astonishing swiftness, leaving behind pink scars and third, the scars themselves disappeared, as though they never happened.

I was dumbfounded and utterly stupefied.

"Nice try," he muttered and stood up, his clothes were torn up, making his appearance even more unnerving, "But now, it's time for you to die!"

He charged at me with the Devil's speed. It took every ounce of my strength and focus to keep up with his blows. And I felt strange... Like almost as if he was slowing down the flow of time.

Then, I noticed that... Time flowed interestingly around him. Elder had the speed of a quickster. He skipped around me with the speed beyond the quickest of beasts. I had trouble damaging him. Even though I had speed and skill to damage him, he would heal at an unnaturally fast pace, as if days had passed, not minutes.

Suddenly, I realized that time really did flow faster with him. He was controlling it the whole time.

And I asked myself quickly... What thing does the most damage in time? I smiled and made my move.

I summoned Shiva and used Toxic Blade and my mind knew it obeyed. I slashed Elder in the leg, hitting his femur bones, and instead of knitting like it usually did, it became increasingly gangrenous. He slumped down and cried in pain. His face was twisted with absolute agony.

"What's wrong?" I smiled, "That's right, poison doesn't become better in time, it gets worse." I sneered, "Time is fluid eh?"

"You... bastard..." He managed, "Damn you! You'll pay for this!" He swore, "I regret saying that... I must postpone our fight. Until next time!" He cried and disappeared with a loud crack.

I fixed my hair in the rain, hid Deus Xiphos and made my way down the hill. By the time I reached the base, it was twilight. When I reached home, it was already 7 PM.

I told Leah, Junpei and Akihiko I got lost in the city, to which they replied rather scathingly that even Junpei cold navigate through the streets, to his resentment. They didn't hover on it though.

I took a long, well-deserved shower.

When I did reach my bed, Minako left a note, saying she wanted to speak with me.

I went to Narda and she was waiting for me.

"Hey Minato, found your wallet?" She asked.

"Yeah." I lied.

"Anyway, I needed to ask you something... Remeber our talk this morning?" Minako asked.

"If I'd have sex with you?" I asked.

She blushed, "Yeah... You know, if it was you, I wouldn't really mind. We are best friends after all, and we need to experience this. That is, if you're willing... God, you must think I'm such a skank..."

"No, I don't... Actually, I find it great you'd do it with me." I managed. What of the odds... Minako, wanting my physical companionship!

"Well, what so you say?" She said with a forced voice.

I frowned and gave her my answer.

* * *

**A/N: Wow. Long chapter, considering I started writing only six hours ago. Whew.**

**Also, I decided that Minato uses his Personas to upgrade his attacks. Like when he used Siegfried's Vorpal Blade. Minato did it instead of Siegfried.**

**Also, if you find Minako's attitude to be a bit wierd, I'll say she does feel something about Minato.**

**Well, the reviews may have increased. I need more though. Remember the quota, I do want to hear from you guys. The read and runners, I expect, will not follow this, but I still hope they do, instead of just skimming.**

**Again, please review. Especially what you want to happen next. *wink* *wink***

**Q/A Time!:**

**Night: Well, yes. Cato is good now. **

**Well then, ask and you shall recieve, bro! I suspect you'd find this Hwoarang scene epic as well?**

**FES: Yep. Thanks. Also, what is a fluff?**

**Ace: I discontinued it. Psych! The latest will come soon, I'm still quite insecure of the contents, if anyone will like Minato's new attitude. I'm quite done with chapter 4 though.**

**Kazuya: Thanks for understanding. It's quite a rush, seeing my inbox fluxing with reviews! He is good now. But sadly, something will happen to him.**

**His outburst refers to the fact that he may or may not have descended from her. And since he is the Messiah, can you guess who'll have Magdalene as her Persona? Don't say it though. Take your pick on the two.**

**What is a fluff?! I keep hearing it.**

**Yeah, comes from my own past weakness of sleeping with lights. When they'll do the do? Very soon. Woo!**

**Well, it was a bit forced, I had to burn up a lot of prompts, ideas whoch I write as last resort ideas, and yes, you did notice... Oh man.**

**Hoshi: Hey, gimme a break man! Or woman. xD just kidding. My iPad, though consoderably easier and FAR more faster to type than my cumbersome laptop, generates more errors, so my apologies on that one.**

**I fear you won't have to wait that long though.**

**Radaketor: Well, excuse me if its boring. Like I said, it is important and I don't really write anything unless it is important.**

**Moortor: Refer to the later chapters, which I'm done with. Make an account and I might give you the details.**

**CQS: Ah, perceptive! Though, I did try to sophisticize what Rock said. I think you all know how they were expelled now! Though the true reason is much darker.**

**Me, an idol? Really now... **

**Winnie: I assume the first one is yours, correct?**

**Well, I just write the story. Its you guys who put up the reviews, so maraming salamat, as we say in the Philippines, muchos gracias in Spanish, merci beucoup in French, arigatogozaimaishite in Japanese, xiéxié in Cinese and grazie in Italian.**

**-Yes, one or so of the reviewers wanted Joey Wheeler in, so when they went to New York, I said, why the hell not? Amd I placed him there on the storyline.**

**-Harry Potter? Oh yes, J.K. Rowling is my idol. I hope one day to even reach her pinky's level of skill in writing.**

**-I thought about Tekken. Though I don't remeber putting Kazuya in, -Hwoarang and Lili are my favorite to use. Since they were a pairing, and Hwoarang is from Korea and has that fiery attitude, I thought it was perfect! My second pairing to put was about to be Zafina and Miguel, but i t didn't fir, so I scrapped it in favor of Hwoa-Lili.**

**It's fine. Aigis, I really hate her for being weak. Her orgia mode is crap too, leaving her vulnerable and her actions, poses and voice annoyed me to hell. Not to mention her status as an android. But if it were Alisa Boschovich instead, I would be thrilled! Chainsaw arms beats gun fungers any day.**

**Hisano, huh? I guess so. But she might be someone else... Someone closer to Minato.**

**Sorry. It didn't seem natural to use 'sun tan'. And 'Wuan' was a deliberate mispronounciation of Hwoarang on his name, refusing to say it properly, until this chapter, of course.**

**I suppose Lee is that way. Also, it's not the actual Adachi from P4. Just some dude with the same name.**

**Minato meant it in a "fights like one" instead of an actual thug. Kanji is pretty decent though. Far decent.**

**No, its fine. I realized that mistake and put the explaination in the next chapter.**

**Well, only I know the true identity! Hahaha!**

**Anyways, I really don't mind 2 reviews. If anything, I'm really pleased you hit the review button!**

**Hope to see more of you!**

**Oshteryu: Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?**


	54. Arisato Duel

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I had exams and my priority to study outweighed my priority to update. Hope you guys understand, and to be fair, I never expected the reviews to pile up that fast, so kudos to all of you! Thanks very much.**

**Oh yea, the line break refers to spoilers of several books. Don't blame me if you spoil the ending, you were warned!**

**Well, at any rate, enjoy. **

* * *

**(1/15/11)**

**Wednesday...**

_I had yet another nightmare..._

_This time, Elder was laying down on the surgical bed. Guardian was working on the leg wound I caused as Sensei supervised it._

_The wound was grotesque, green and sickly looking. I had cut him straight through the bone and the flesh around the wound was as good as necrotic._

_"Elder..." Sensei growled, "You careless fool! You nearly got yourself killed!"_

_Elder tried to smile, "Thank you for your concern, Sensei, but it is nothing-"_

_"I don't care if you die, but unfortunately, you are a major player in Lucifer's plans. If you even injure yourself, this would end quickly." Sensei said coldly._

_Elder frowned, "He used his Personas. I was overcome by his sheer power..."_

_"Well, no wonder." Sensei mused, "A weakling could not stand a chance against the Messiah, especially when he is angry. Also, you let your chance slip. You had an opportunity to strike him from behind-"_

_"I have my honor. I never strike from behind." Elder said defiantly._

_"And yet, he had no qualms about using poison." Sensei said angrily, "I think... It's time to tell you about the Lords of the Dark Arts."_

_Elder perked up, "Lords of the Dark Arts...?"_

_"The Lords are four extremely powerful warlocks, who each mastered the four pillars of Dark Arts, the most powerful of its countless branches, Time, Space, Weather and Creation. They had lived in this earth since the dawn of time, with other guardians. Of course, they aren't the same persons, just reincarnated, but they can choose to live forever if they want. I know for a fact that if you kill them, their powers would be yours." Sensei said with a gleam in his eyes._

_Elder began to stand, but his leg gave out. Guardian caught him in time, "Where are they? Who are they?"_

_"First, the Lord of Time, Isil Dûr. He has a Persona, Kronos. He controls Time and the flow of it. He is known to be kindhearted and hospitable. He is also the Guardian of Nepal."_

_"Second, is the Lord of Space, Køn-ryl. His Persona is Chaos. He can warp space and bend it to his will. Extremely unforgiving, he once killed his own son when he tried to insult his powers. He guards Scandinavia and the northern territories,_

_"Third is the most powerful. Zythos Menethil. He controls the sphere of Weather, and is known as Zeus. In fact, he was called Zeus in his homeland. His Persona is obviously Zeus. He agressively defends his home territory of Greece and the Mediterranean with thunder and lightning and the force of nature._

_"Fourth and last is mere legend. His name is shrouded in mystery. His power is the most obscure, but the darkest of all. Indeed, probably the most powerful form of Dark Arts... you can create armies of your style. Yes... Heinz Frankenstien, patriarch of the Dark branch of Creation."_

_"Heinz?" Elder said quizzically._

_"Yes, his brother, Viktor, was famous. He was a well known icon amongst the Devil Summoner population, but died long ago. Hienz is his younger brother. He uses Thesis, Titan of creation. His current whereabouts are unknown and he has never been heard of since his brother's death."_

_"Well then..." Elder said, standing tall and proud despite his gangrenous leg wound, "It's time I pay the first three a visit. Perhaps they'll know the whereabouts of Heinz."_

_"Indeed, my pupil. I shall observe our little Messiah." Sensei smiled devilishly._

* * *

I woke up with a start. The plot thickened somewhat. I needed to find out about the Lords before Elder kills them.

Before I do any of that, I needed to head for class.

The day was uneventful, and I spent most of my break at the library with Minako. No luck in any of the books.

After classes, we headed home.

Minako and I discussed Dark Arts, her being a Slytherin in Pottermore, in the living room. Junpei had an assignment book report last month and he was already beginning to enjoy it. He was sprawled in the sofa, reading.

"Sigh... I don't know why I've been avoiding books! They're loads better than the crappy movie versions!" Junpei cried, "I mean, Harry Potter is hilarious! Peeves is pretty cool in the fifth book, and I'm getting started on the 6th book."

"That's a good book," Minako said, "Dumbledore dies in that one."

Junpei looked at Minako with a shocked face.

Minako smiled, "Yeah, I never saw that one coming. Snape took him out!"

Junpei's face contorted with fury.

"Not to mention Tonks, Fred, Dobbie, Remus, Snape, who turned good, Hedwig and Moody died as well. Not to mention Harry dies and talks to Dumbledore before killing Voldy." Minako said absentmindedly.

Junpei took a deep breath and set down The Half-Blood Prince, "Well, there goes my happy reading hour. Oh well, at least I still got Percy Jackson. I'm on the final one."

"Love that part." I said, "Percy turns invincible, Hades helps the Olympians, Silena Beauregard is the spy, Beckendorf dies, Clarisse sends reinforcements, Luke killed Kronos and dies, so does Ethan Nakamura, there will be more campers and Annabeth and Percy kissed."

Junpei set down the book as well and picked up The Hunger Games Trilogy, "Well, I know this one is relatively new."

"Oh, I read that-PDF," Minako said, "Katniss volunteers, Peeta's leg gets sawed off, Rue dies from a spear, Thresh saves Katniss, the two attempt to kill themselves, but were named winners, Katniss and Peeta were forced to join it again, escape to District 13 with other winners, got the 12fth District bombed, Cinna died too, so did his assistants and most of everyone at the 12fth District, President Snow dies and so does Primrose."

Junpei threw the trilogy on the ground as well, with a bitter expression.

"Okay, but Twilight saga... You fools ain't crazy enough to read it-"

"Actually, I was." Minako said, "Bella becomes a vampire, has a baby and Jacob falls in love with it. Talk about pedophilia. Also, the Volturi didn't kill anyone because that's how much it sucked." Minako said.

"Well, I read this fanfic-"

"Saw it at your browser. The magic ring really wasn't magic and the third sister died!" I said.

"Dude, not cool!" Junpei cried.

* * *

"That's for all the times you co- I mean, chop blocked me!" I said hastily, not noticing Minako was listening.

Minako gave me a meaningful look.

"Oh well. Time to get my books!" Junpei cried and tried a Superman jump, but his foot got caught up with his blanket and he did a faceplant on the floor. After a few seconds, we laughed for a few minutes before helping him out.

We took him to the Hospital, where he was given 10 stitches to the lip. In the E.R., we found an unlikely person. Naoto was on her way out, using crutches to support herself.

"Oh!" Naoto cried in surprise, "Uh, nice to see you two here!"

"Naoto, what happened to your leg?" Minako cried.

Naoto winced and looked at it, "A mugger."

"A mugger, huh," I mused.

After treating Junpei to ice cream at Pinky's, Minako and I had a heart to heart chat at Narda.

"So, uh, Minato..." She said, eating the homemade ice cream from Pinky's cafe, "What do you think? D'you think we should do it?"

I nodded, "Yeah. At the proper time." I added, "Maybe some time after exams."

"Exams..." Minako muttered bitterly as she ate another spoonful of ice cream.

I thought for a while, "Minako... I want to show you something... You're gonna flip." I held Minako's soft, gentle hands and opened the door to my armory. Everything was in place, except Lucifer's Blade, which Elder had undoubtedly 'borrowed' again.

I knew she'd entered it before, but I wanted it to be official, "Minako, you know, this life is not what I had imagined last year. I'd been beaten, insulted and pushed around before... But where I am now in life, with all my hopes and dreams coming true, in a strange way, its because you always stood by me... I mean, I couldn't have done any of it without you."

"Horseshit, Minato, that was all you." Minako smiled, "Well, not most of it..."

"Here... I'd like to show you the most precious possession I have..."

Her eyes gleamed, "Really?"

I opened the cabinet and carefully took Deus Xiphos out. I knew it accepted Minako and I handed it to her. Minako's Days of Autumn ring I gave her seemed to glow as she handled the sword, untouched by its ancient magic.

"It's so light... And balanced!"

"Yes... Yes... Made by Masters of Swordcraft, you see." I explained, "Its been in the family for generations now. My father owned it before he died."

"Yeah... It's beautiful..." Minako sighed, admiring Deus Xiphos' jewel encrusted crossguard and its gilded hilt. Her face was reflected by the narrow, crystal sharp blade.

"Like your fa..."

She looked at me, "You're ring!" I added nervously.

She gave me an even more puzzled look, "Minako, what I'm tryin' to say is that I'm really glad you're my friend."

She smiled, "Me too."

"I'm just sorry it took this long..." I said, "I'd wish we met sooner."

"That's okay." Minako said, raising the sword.

I held her hand, "It's not okay," I said, "I really did wish we met last year."

"Me too. More than you, since you're the first person who ever showed me real kindness," She said seriously, putting Deus Xiphos down to hold my hand, "I really wish you were my friend last year, and the years before those... Because frankly, Minato, you're the one who dragged me out of those dark times of loneliness... And I'll forever be grateful."

We both looked at each other fondly.

"Ahhhh!" Leah cried, "Minato! Help! There's a mouse!"

"It's a big ass mouse!" Akihiko said with fear, "Help! We're trapped!"

Since I was dead tired of being cockblocked yet again, for the millionth time, shouted lazily, "Just shoot the damn thing!"

"I left my gun at my drawer!" Leah cried.

"Get Koromaru to chase him then!" I shouted.

"Who do you think is up here with us?!" Akihiko shrieked.

I ignored them, "Minako... Uh... You, uh..."

"Yes?"

Then, four loud gunshots cracked the silence. We ignored them again, "What would you say? After exams?" I asked her.

"Sure." Minako said, "This had been a long time coming."

"Right." I said, cheering out loud in my mind.

"Besides. We hang out so much, we're practically a couple." Minako said with a flashy smile.

I laughed to hide my joy, "Is that what you think? Sounds good."

"But..." Minako bit her lip, "There's nothing stopping us from making it official..."

I smiled and looked directly at her, "What about Prince Charming?"

She scoffed, "What about him?"

"I see..."

"But first..." She tossed Deus Xiphos at me and grabbed Pinaka, "Let's have some fun. I challenge you to a duel!" She cried.

"Okay," I said, and with that, she charged at me with the spear.

I shrugged and readied for combat. Minako was no delicate flower and I was eager to spar with her.

"Haduken!" She cried as she thrusted the spear to me. I dodged it and slammed on her with my shoulder.

She ran up to me and leaped, the spear poised for my chest. I blocked it with my sword and disarmed her. I expected her to yield, but she grabbed the nearest weapon, Masakodos Blade, and attacked me with it. I knew that if Deus Xiphos wouldn't fold, I would, so I grabbed Corpse Rod and used the Kanabo to defend. If I did counter attack, I'd break her bones with one strike. Eventually, she dropped the sword and used the spear again.

She was surprisingly fast. She stabbed as soon as her hand touched the spear and I parried it with the flat of my blade. She aimed at my feet and I dodged it. She dislodged it as I jumped on the spear and used it as a springboard and dove down with it. Minako blocked the arc I made with the blade and spun it around her head before thrusting it to me. I weaved past it and slashed.

Her agility and nimbleness surprised me. She countered with an audacious charge and I stumbled back to Narda after feeling the wrath of her three talon strikes. I parried her blows and counter-attacked with a torrent of slashes and stabs.

At that point, she tossed the spear to me and I did the same with my blade and essentially did a switcheroo.

She shouted and cursed loudly with each strike, stabbing and slashing wildly with my sword as I was practically helpless against her wrath. How she got this strong, I'd never know, but she was more of a brawler than a warrior. She made a grand mess of the room because I dodged and rolled away rather than to fight her. She wasn't particularly skilled, but she attacked in a way that forced me on the defense. I managed to sweep her off her feet, literally, and grabbed my sword back.

That made her furious. I grabbed a book and threw it at her before charging. She knocked it away with the spear and used the end of the polearm to whip me in the gut. As I reeled, she spun the blade with a crescent sweep and attacked again. I rolled away and zipped past her maneuvers.

We were face-to-face, "Nervous?" She asked, darting the spearhead around, hoping to confuse me.

"Petrified," I trusted my instincts and avoided getting hit. Yet I stumbled on the book I threw and fell.

"Come on, Minato..." Minako jeered, "I don't want Breaking Dawn to steal my glory."

I stood up and got so close, her spear was useless. I wrenched it out of her hands and knocked her down with a palm strike. She inadvertedly grabbed me and took me down with her.

"I win. You lose. What more is there to say?" I said as I mounted her.

"Cheater... You'd hit a girl?!" She said playfully.

I smiled and went close enough to smell her hair. She giggled and laughed with me.

Then, our eyes fell to a resident clown.

"Um... I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Junpei asked.

"No-" I began.

"Yes," Minako said angrily, "You kinda are."

Junpei smiled, "I knew it!" His eyes fell on the destruction Minako and I caused in our wake, "You two like to play rough, eh?"

Minako looked furious, "So what if we do? Quit cockblocking us, Junpei, and take a hike!"

Junpei and I were shocked at her words, "So-" Junpei stammered.

"Get out!" Minako barked, "You ruined a shit load of moments and my soul will be damned before you do it again!"

Junpei stood transfixed. Minako grabbed the spear and hurled it at him, and embedded itself beside Junpei's head, to which he fled the room.

Minako smiled again, "So... Want to get off me now?"

I apologized and got off her, "When we do it, I'm on top," Minako said, "You're heavy."

I shrugged. When Leah came to clean my room, she threw a hissy fit of a lifetime.

"It's not our fault." I said, "Minako and I were just fooling around."

Leah smiled mischivously, "Ah, I see..."

Blushing red, I cried, "It's not what you think!"

"It is what I think." Leah said with a smile.

"We were just duelling!" Minako said defensively.

"Duelling with your genitals?" Junpei piped.

Minako threw a dirty look at him, "Junpei, I'll buy you a puppy, wait for you to fall in love with it, murder it in front of you and force you to eat it."

"You're a monster!" Junpei cried in horror and ran away.

After carefully explaining it to a dubious Leah, we finally cleared it up.

I studied for a while and slept early.

_I had another dream._

_I was in an derelict monastary, with two people sitting in front of each other. One was an aged monk and the other was a cloaked teenager who wore an orange monk's garb. His hood was orange as well. A few monks armed with staves stood from a distance, looking nervously at the visitor._

_They drank tea together, "So, I presume you're Isil-Dûr? High monk of the Himalayan Ranges?" He asked quietly._

_"Yes." Isil said, "It was quite fortunate you arrived here before nightfall. There have been whispers of growing evil from the east. A young Demon Lord, who arose from the uttermost east... He is called by some as 'The Elder' and 'The Hood'... They say he has arrived on this mountain."_

_"Indeed?" The blonde teenager said._

_"What is your name, young traveller?" Isil asked._

_"My name?" The boy asked, "My name... Christopher Natas, born of Asia. My mother's memory for her homeland made me embark on this journey, to hopefully find myself."_

_Isil nodded, "A wise choice."_

_"Tea please." Christopher asked as Isil signalled a monk to pour him more tea. Christopher drank the tea and his blue eyes fell on a black monk's garb framed beside a photo of four men. One was Isil-Dûr, one was a muscular man with angry eyes, the other was a short, but evil looking man and the last one looked more kinder._

_"Japanese sake." Isil said._

_"Of course." Christopher said amiably, "Tastes great."_

_"Yup, that's from Konishi liquors!" A monk from the side said and roared with laughter. Three senior looking monks joined with us._

_"What brings you men here?" Christopher asked a burly monk and his friends._

_"I was from India. I love the climate here and I'm not leaving!" The monk replied, "Right now, I'm a herdsman."_

_"I have been a tent maker all my life," a formidable monk said, "My family made the finest tents in Canton, China."_

_"What a coincidence," Christopher said quietly, "I'm from China as well. My parents grew up in Canton."_

_"What were their names?" The formidable one asked._

_"Oh, they had names," Christopher said, "But their names were taken away by herdsmen," he clicks cups with the burly monk, "And tentmakers. All under the employ of one delusional communist madman." He said and drank his tea and refilled it. The monks looked uneasily at each other._

_He smiled at them and rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing a black tattoo of a withered tree with a skull and 666 at the roots._

_The monk's eyes widened with pure fear._

_He smiled evilly. The burly monk drew a knife, but Christopher held his arm easily. He withered the monk's arm toa claw, much to everyone's horror and took the knife with ease, and read the inscription, "'Covert Acolytes of the Forbidden Path From Flesh to Soul', eh?" Christopher sneered, "I wonder which one you'd care to lose first?"_

_"We will never yield to you!" The burly monk cried defiantly._

_"Heh... flesh it is then." He hewed the monk's arm off with the knife, to everyone's horror. Isil Dûr moved back with several monks._

_"Freeze, asshole!" A monk with a bow and arrow aimed at him._

_"Go ahead and shoot him!" A monk beckoned as he complied. The arrow sailed at Christopher, but he used time to zip past it and it hit the tentmaker monk behind him in the chest._

_Christopher glared at him from under his hood. The monk shuddered and began to age rapidly, until he was a broken pile of bones held together by withered skin._

_Christopher grabbed the arrow from the fallen monk and used it to pin the burly monk's hand to the floor._

_"Who are you?!" The monk cried._

_Christopher laughed, "I... I am the Devil's servant. I am... Elder." And cut off the burly monk's head with a clean sweep._

_The monks began to panic and charged. Elder summoned Lucifer's Blade and made short work of them. Their staves were no match to his zweihander. Acolyte after another fell quickly, and just like that, over ten score or more monks were killed. The only consilation they had was that they died quickly albeit bloodily._

_Elder marched through, killing the remnants with ease, showing no mercy and slaughtering man, woman and child in the courtyard in order to reach the final sanctum._

_One monk was begging for the ones inside to grant him entry, but he was ignored. He panicked when he saw Elder._

_"Look, I'm not a monk! They're in here, just let the normal people go-" his pleas were cut off when Elder ran him through with his blade before destroying the gate with his sword._

_Inside, three monks guarded Isil-Dûr, who was behind another door._

_"I have dispatched the Temple Guards to our location. They will descend upon you shortly." The Captain of the Temple Guard said menacingly._

_"You mean the same ones who are flooding the courtyard pool with their blood?" Elder said with a smile._

_"You butcher!" He spat, "You shall die!"_

_"How about... Joining me?" Elder said._

_"No!" The Captain said, "We would die a thousand deaths for Lord Isil-Dûr!"_

_"One would suffice." Elder said as he made short work of the Captain, whose head fell off with a clean sweep. The two were dispatched quickly, one with the power of time, and the other thrown out the window,_

_Elder smashed through the doors, where Isil-Dûr sat silently._

_"Hail Isil-Dûr, Lord of Time!" Elder said with contempt, "I am Elder, Lord of the Shadows."_

_Isil-Dûr nodded grimly._

_"Oh, don't give me that," Elder said, "What was supposed to do? Let them kill me? I came here to ask questions."_

_"So you killed the thousand inhabitants of this monastary to ask a few questions?!" He fumed._

_"I would've done that anyway. Besides, you aren't true monks anyway. You're really just worshippers and disciples of the Forbidden Path!" Elder said dissmissively, "And a Demon Lord, caring for people? How very touching."_

_"Ask your question." Isil said, "A thousand lives were lost for this."_

_"To the point, aren't we?" Elder said, "I want to know the locations of the other Demon Lords." Elder said._

_"I only know the locations of the Lords of Space and Weather," Isil said, "The location of Lord Creation is lost to me. And even if I did know, I would never tell you!now get out of my mountain and never come back!"_

_"Curse you, wretched old man!" Elder spat, "Would you think I came here just to do that? No, I plan on destroying this entire mountain and salting the earth! After all, the Lord of Time knows everything will be barren. Osn't that what the Forbidden Path taught you?"_

_"I walked away from that path a long time ago..." Isi-Dûr said._

_Elder walked quickly towards him, "My son, my son, what are you doing?" Isil Dûr cried._

_He grabbed the old man by the throat and raised his sword, "Succeeding you." He plunged the sword to the old man's heart and absorbed his powers. Isil-Dûr, former Lord of Time, dissolved into sand._

_"One step closer..." Elder growled, "To killing the Messiah."_

* * *

**A/N: Whew. Done. Again, so sorry for those who waited. The next chap will appear soon, since exams are all but as always, and this time, I will update sooner ratherthan later if they piled up like usual.**

**Also, sorry if Elder seemed too violent. Again, I wanted to ephasize his cruelty and evil. Also, they weren't real monks. Jus covert cultists.**

**Q/A:**

**aaronvang: Yeah, no. He did say yes. And I was younger than 18 when I did 'it' and I'm hardly even 18. Its kinda based after some personal stuff.**

**Gin: Hey, glad you could review!**

**Aw, thanks! You give me too much credit!**

**Also, sorry if it seemed toodark at times. Some of those stiff are kinda a norm where I'm from. But Ihaven't done what they did, except the occasional teasing of a gay friend of ours.**

**Well, next time again!**

**CQS: Yeah, I was gonna include a part where Minako kicks Elder off the cliff, but it'd seem foolish.**

**Dr. Franken Stein: Always a pleasure reading your reviews.**

**Radaketor: Of course Minato's gonna say yes! This is Minako we're talking about!**

**Yep, I sang whilst reading too. I used a shoe, like Quan did.**

**Hoshi: Thanks! I did put up more description, I think...**

**Cutiekuts: Thanks! If I don't update and you want to know what comes next, feel free to drop me a PM.**

**Vault Hunter: Thanks. I do have a lot of OCs, but trust me, I can manage them and there's nothing that can overwhelm the Prince of Dreams.**

**As for the tropes, if you could revise it I'd appreciate it!**

**Sacky: He won't, not until Minato is dead. And you can see, Karma bites Junpei in the ass.**

**Scrappy: Thanks! I hope you'll enjoy the next arcs.**

**Jenkins: I love reviews as much as Kenji loves ramen.**

**Troper Fan: I thought you just had to input it from the index, no spaces and a colon?**

**Nope, no cliffhanger here!**

**KronosFireZeroOne: As you can see, Sensei is just the TEACHER. Elder is the ENEMY of Minato.**

**I find that statement really funny. Nathan is nowhere as near as evil as Elder. Nathan was just a jealous husband and bully, while Elder... He may very well be Minato's evil counterpart.**

**Tourist: He's not really my favorite actor, per se, but now I think he brought about his death. No one asked him to inject himself with heroin and booze off. Still sad though.**

**Winnie: I guess it was coincidence?**

**Well, it is based on something funny I saw while I was at my cousin's house... Pinky's house is above her cafe, so I think no one saw them.**

**Kanji is not a thug. He's thuggish, as seen when he handles Adachi, but he's a big panda bear inside.**

**You'd be surprised of who it actually is. Is it Naoto? Is it Lee? Is it Quan? Or is it Minato's evil twin? Who really knows?**

**Well, Narda is based after it... I think I explained how it looked in one of the past chapters.**

**I heard dogs understand orders better if their owners spoke German, the laguage of discipline.**

**Fortimerr: Like I said, exams, exams, exams... Writing and waiting for reviews doesn't actually hand me a diploma at the end of the year, mind you.**


	55. Cult of Personality

**A/N: Hello! I want to clarify that Minato and Minako are OBVIOUSLY not a couple. I thought I made it pretty clear they're friends with benefits?**

**Also, what's brilliant mind? I never heard of it.**

* * *

(1/16/11)

Wednesday...

I woke up with a start. Just what was that lunatic up to? Killing an entire monastery is bad, but doing it for power is even crazier.

At any rate, I decided to go to school and forget about Elder. After another mind breaking round of reviewing, the gang and I decided to head to Pinky's. It was me, Rio and Minako.

Inside, Fuuka and Naoto were drinking tea, Quan and Kenji were mauling on burger steaks with hot gravy and Junpei was playing with his PS Vita.

Pink was working with Hwoarang, who was a waiter as well. Lili helped by cooking.

Quan and Junpei were arguing loudly from across their table.

"Man, I can fight as well as Minato, man, I'm telling you!" Junpei jumped when he saw me, "Hey, Minato, wassup?" He stood up and gave me a high five.

"Fool, what you been saying about me?" I said as I shook Junpei's hand.

"Hey bro." Kenji greeted.

"Sup man?" Quan greeted.

"What's up, gang?" Minako greeted.

Fuuka and the girls went in one table and we boys sat in one table, except Lee, who was tuning something under a table.

"We were just talking about what happened last year. At the Hot Springs." Kenji said.

"And what were you guys talking about?" I asked.

Quan became excited, "When Mitsuru-san shot herself in the head with a Ruger Mk. III semi, then this giant thing appeared behind out of nowhere and her froze us!" Quan said excitedly, "It's true! It was big, wore a black dress with golden spikes and it had this wicked whip-"

"Hahaha, that story gets more ridiculous every time you say it, Quan!" Kenji laughed.

"Hey, it's true!" Quan cried, "Lee, tell them!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah, whatever he said..." Lee said, obviously distracted.

I narrowed my eyes and went to Lee's table while the boys began to argue about Quan's claim.

Lee looked up, "Hey, what you doing here? Waddya want?" He asked busily.

"I'm here to see my friend. What's going on with you?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's cool to see you too, bro." Lee said, still distracted.

"What, no brotherly love? No hugs?"

"Oh, for sure, for sure, sorry bro, my bad..." Lee apologized and gave me a hug, revealing a pistol he was tuning underneath the table.

"Dude, what are you strapped for?" I asked with a hushed tone.

"Oh, this?" Lee said, motioning the gun, "Some asshole keeps bombing on my murals with some voodoo sign. That piece was beautiful. This'll teach them a lesson."

"What did it look like?" I asked.

"It was a mural of me, except I looked like Bruce Lee-"

"Not the mural, the voodoo sign!" I cried.

"Eh? I can't describe it, but why don't I show you? I might even catch the ass who vandalized my vandalization?"

At the risk of being an accessory to crime, I decided to go with Lee. Junpei tagged along at the last moment, since Pinky began her singing Pink again, making Junpei mutter, "She memorizes all those lines, yet can't remember to not to put regular milk in my latte..."

I followed him to a nearby deserted alley. There were two people in black hoodies, spraypainting over what seems to be a rather well painted mural of Lee's head in Bruce Lee's body from 'Game of Death'.

"Imma pop these clowns..." Lee muttered as he cocked his pistol.

"Yeah, yeah... Do the killshot!" Junpei cried, miming the sideward hold of a pistol.

"Wait up, let's not smoke them first and ask questions after, let me talk to them first." I said.

Junpei complained loudly while Lee seemed hesitant, "Fine. But quickly!" Lee cried.

I approached the tagger. He stopped to look at me.

"Uh, excuse me, I'm from the N.W.A..." I began.

"Which one are you? Eazy-E? Ice Cube? M.C. Ren?" He asked.

"Uh, no, I mean the Neighborhood Watch Alliance."

"Jibun o korosu iku... Bakayarō!" He muttered and went back to work.

"Yeah, get out of here before we cut your heart out!" His friend cried.

I ground my teeth and went back to Lee, "They're all yours."

Lee took out a baton and clicked it open before sneaking up to the hoodlum.

"C'mon Lee, get him! Yeah, yeah, get him!" Junpei amd I muttered.

Lee swung the baton and it hit the tagger in the skull.

"Dammit!" His friend cried before running away.

"Skull-Crushing 'Bruise' Lee! Remember that name!" Lee shouted to the running thug.

He grabbed the downed thug and raised him up and pointed the gun at his chest, "Tell me why you had to ruin this work of art and I will ease your passing!"

"Ow..." The thug moaned, "Alright, fine, I only did that because of this groovy new cult!" He points to the mural.

To my shock, it was a graffiti of a withered tree with a skull and 666 at the roots... Elder's Damned symbol in the form of a tattoo.

"Cultist scum! I ought to fill your ass with lead!" Lee threatened, "But wasting my bullets on you would be stupid, considering the fact that you could be run over by a truck and it'd save me the trouble of writing the paperwork. Get the hell out of here, and I better not see your dogface again!" He cried. The thug made himself scarce and ran away.

"Shit..." I muttered and looked at the symbol. It was exactly like Elder's tattoo.

"I know... That mural was a masterpiece..." Lee said, while tearing up.

"Nyx all over again..." Junpei whispered to me.

"Not that..." I said.

_A new cult..._

* * *

Minako and I went home after a few rounds of tea. It was around twilight by then. Junpei and the others left ahead with Quan, Kenji and Lee. Rio and Fuuka went home early with some of their friends

I was brooding over the latest happenings. If it wasn't bad enough Elder was getting stronger, he also has fanatical loons in his every beck and call.

"Something wrong?" Minako asked me.

"Huh? Nah, nothing's wrong..." I mumbled.

"Minato, I know when you're feeling distressed. Tell me now."

"Nothing... I'm just... sad." I said.

Minako bit her lip, "Is it me?"

That was substantial to wake me up from my brooding, "What? No, it's not you, Minako..." I muttered, "It's something else..."

"Minato, can you tell me?" Minako asked with patient anger, "I really don't want to be kept in the dark."

I nodded, "Yeah, sure..."

Suddenly, I was aware we were being watched. I heard sounds coming from the road, "Its not safe talking here... Let's head to Narda."

"No, I want you to tell me now." She said angrily.

"Minako..." I said, suddenly feeling scared for Minako's safety, "I think we should get off the road..."

"Minato, I want to know right here, right NOW." She said angrily.

I felt them getting closer, "Get off the road! Quickly!"

"Yeah..." Minako said, suddenly aware of us being watched. We backed away slowly, but ran when something made a shrill shout.

We ran like hell. As usual, Minako outstripped me and I was almost left behind. And we arrived the house earlier than usual.

We were panting and caught our breath after a few seconds.

"What... what was that?" Minako panted.

"I don't... know..." I panted.

"Well, someone... Or something, is after us. Minato, please, I'm asking you to tell me!" Minako pleaded.

"I will. Come inside." I said.

We went inside and found Akihiko, Kenji, Lee and Junpei playing scrabble.

"Gimme 16," Kenji said.

"Wait, okay? I'll write it in a second, I'm not gonna pistol-whip you with this pencil, fool." Lee said whilst writing down the score.

"Oh, hey!" Akihiko greeted.

"Greetings!" Quan said.

"Sup?" Junpei greeted.

"Lookie, lookie, MinaSquared came back!" Lee said mischievously.

"Who's winning?" I asked nervously, to change the topic.

"Who do you think? Me." Quan said. It did make sense, his dad being the English teacher and all, but Lee disagreed.

"That's bullshit! 'Beginning' has only one G, you illiterate prick bastard!" Lee cried.

"That book report you passed? I talked dad into passing it!" Quan shot back.

"That's horseshit, my shit was brilliant!" Lee cried.

"Your 'shit' was shit!" Quan countered.

"This is Jerry Springer coming to you live from Japan, where two yaoi lovers are fighting over a book report." I said with a Jerry Springer-esque voice.

"Quan ain't my boyfriend dammit!" Lee cried angrily.

Quan handed him a pint of root beer from the kitchen, "Here you go, extra foam on the top like you want it."

Lee took it graciously, "Thanks babe."

"See!?"

They began arguing and Minako took the time to drag me upstairs.

"Hey, they were having a Jerry Springer moment there!" I protested.

"Minato! Focus!" Minako cried and dragged me into Narda, "Now, Minato... I dare you..." She took a seat in my mahogany table and I took a seat at the opposite end, "Lie to me."

"You want to know the truth, Minako?" I asked.

"Yes. About what happened last year." Minako said firmly.

"Fine. It will shock you, but..." I braced myself, "Last year, I would go outside at a secret hour in the night and fight our sworn enemies, called Shadows... My team mates were Yukari, Mitsuru, Akihiko, Junpei, Koromaru and a few others you don't know... We went out at an hour between 12 and 1 AM, to fight monsters."

After a moment of silence, Minako spoke, "Well, how do you fight these, um... '_Monsters_'?"

"With a sword, of course... A special Holy sword from Heaven, passed down the bloodline of David... That shed the blood of countless Shadows... If they even have blood. That very same sword you were holding not so long ago." I said.

"Annnnnnd, how many do you think you've killed?" She asked overly sweetly.

I was excited, ecstatic even, that she took an interest with it, "Oh, thousands. Maybe even millions." I thought about it hard, "Definitely a million."

"My goodness!" Minako said with shock, "Minato, you ice cold killer... And here I thought you were a good boy."

"That I am not. If you'll follow me..." I opened the door and took out a few weapons, "I once brained a Musha with this glove, and killed several Ice Mothers with this flail and-" I noticed Minako was gone while I excitedly showed her my world, "Minako? Minako?"

I saw her leave Narda in wrath. As a caution, I took something from the closet with me.

"Minako! Minako, please wait!" I caught up with her and she angrily turned around, "What's wrong?"

"I told you to tell the truth with me, yet you chose to make fun of me, you scumbag!"

"That WAS the truth! The truest thing ever! I'll even say that I died on January 29 fighting a malevolent entity and came back to- Wait!" She ran off while I explained.

"FINE!" I shouted, "I didn't want to do this, but..." I pulled out the pseudo-firearm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, chill, chill!" Minako pleaded, "O-Okay!?"

"I'm not gonna hurt you..." I said, pointing the gun on my head.

"Minato, don't kill yourself!" Minako cried, "W-We can find you a nice asylum! Or a shot of heroin! Don't pull that trigger!"

I pulled the trigger.

"No!" Minako cried.

"MESSIAH!" I cried at the same time.

Messiah appeared behind me, enveloping the tunnel with bright lights.

Minako fell back, "HOLY SH- I mean cow!" Minako cried"Believe me now?" I asked smugly.

Minako only nodded.

* * *

"What a story..." Minako sighed after I told her of the complete events of last year, "I never realized it..."

"I know... Hard to believe." I said, "But it's true."

"Must be tough..." Minako said, "Dying for people who don't even know about it!"

"It's a thankless job, yeah, but I need to do it."

"Then why didn't anyone say anything? It should've been on the news!"

I smirked, "People prefer legends to men. They prefers blood over peace, inspirational leaders to quiet mem. They remember the battle, but forget the bloodshed. Whatever they remember, if they even remember anything, it shall only remember a fraction of the truth."

"That's really deep, man." Minako said.

"Nah, the Dark Hour mechanics."

"Oh yeah..." Minako mumbled, "That's just so... hard to believe."

"Truth is stranger than fiction... fanfiction, to be precise." I added.

"And now some wierdo named 'Elder' wants to kill you?" She asked.

"Hence the nightmares and attacks on me," I said, "Luckily, the Personas helped me."

"D-Do you think I have one?" She asked, "A Persona?"

"I hope and pray to God you don't." I said.

Minako went to her room. I, on the other hand, studied and went to sleep, and had another bout of disturbing nightmares...

_It was set in a different place... I wasn't sure, but it was likely on the top of the Astronomy Tower._

_Elder stood at the top, gazing at the sea. A frightened thug wearing a black hoody stood in the staircase. He turned around to see Guardian, who pushed him and pointed at Elder._

_He nervously went forward, "L-Lord Elder...?"_

_"Shhhh..." Elder hushed him, his gaze still at the horizon, "Look..." He points to the sea._

_"It's beautiful, my Lord." The punk said syncopatically_

_"It won't be pretty when the Shadows get done with it..." He snaps back to reality, "You have news for me?"_

_"The runaway shadows were corralled, but quite a few of them are loose." He reported, "Also, some members have fled, but some were caught and fed to the Shadows."_

_"That's good news." Elder said huskily, "It's only a matter of time before they serve me again." He then came forward, "And what is this I keep hearing about some of our acolytes leaving?"_

_"Ah, yes..." The punk said nervously, "They fled after hearing of the Messiah's wrath. They are convinced of our defeat."_

_"That's impossible..." Elder said with a singsong voice, "I wield the powers of Darkness."_

_"Yet they fear the Messiah, and the powers of light he holds... They even named him 'The Dragon' and 'The Paladin'. Some even claimed he is a Golem!" The punk said audaciously, "An avenging angel who was conjured up by a vengeful priest, and smites down the nonbelievers!"_

_"No one actually believes that dogshit," Guardian muttered, biting his shadowy nails, "Just old wives tales by Persona users, told to them by their superstitious Personas."_

_"Why shouldn't it be real?" Elder said, "In fact, he could be a demigod."_

_"Its true... He even attacked a few of my boys who were spreading the news... They were terrified of the Dragon."_

_Elder's eyes lit up, "Henceforward, no one will refer to him by titles other than 'Messiah'! We must cease this underhanded moves to demoralize the men!"_

_"Yes milord." He said and turned around._

_"Wait." Elder commands. Guardian pushes the punk back, "You personally stalked the Messiah, correct?" _

_"Y-Yes..."_

_"Were you intending to kill him?" Elder asked._

_"Oh, yeah, the boys thought it'd be a hoot and a half." The punk said with a smile._

_"Then where... is his head?" Elder asked with a dangerous voice._

_"I..." The punk stammered, "I don't have it!" He cried._

_Elder smiled. A bolt of black lightning crashed down to smite the punk. He lay lifeless on the shale floor, charred and fried. Guardian snickered darkly._

_"Such a waste..." Sensei's voice echoed from the halls below as he went up in his wheelchair._

_"He angered me, Master." Elder said quietly, his gaze returning to the sea, "If he fails, he dies. Simple as that."_

_"Wasteful indeed," Sensei said sadly, "Some of the men don't care for you."_

_"Let them be driven by hatred and fear." Elder declared, "That's all they're good for. People die." _

_"Some die." _

_"No... All die."_

_"Alde sai makato, Elder, just the same... I like you. You killed the first Lord for me." Sensei said, "And I know you'll kill the others."_

_"The Lords don't matter." Elder said, "They'll die anyway."_

_"Of course they do, you fool." Sensei snapped, "I trust you found the Lord of Space?" _

_Elder smiled, "Yes. He knows of my legend."_

_"Then go." Sensei said, "Sow fear and unrest in their hearts."_

_Elder nodded and disappeared with a pop._

I woke up again. Minako was inside my room.

"Hey, Minato... Did I wake you?" She asked.

"Hey, no, I was just resting my eyes- of course I was sleeping!" I cried.

"Sorry!" She winced, "I just wanted to ask... Can I borrow that spear? Just until I'm sure that I'm safe?"

"Go right ahead and take what you want." I said, "Pinaka, if you want it."

"Thanks Minato!" She squealed, "Good night."

"Wait..." I stopped her, "I know that... You have tons of unanswered questions, so let me five this to you..." I went to Narda and unwrapped something swaddled in soft linen, "Here." I gave her a leatherbound tome.

"Thanks..." Minako said gratefully, "What is it?"

"The Tome of the Elders." I said, "Not 'our' Elder, but the Elder Messiahs... A compiled and revised edition of all their experiences... One of the few things my father bequeathed to me when I came of age."

She looked at the list of owners, "Wow! Martin Luther King is here! So is John Dillinger... And... Abraham Lincoln?"

"They were Messiahs, in their own way... Anyway, you should go now. You need to read that, I know."

"Right." Minako smiled.

"Good night..." I said as she left.

I took a deep breath and looked at the moon.

_Minako... I hope you'll forgive me..._

_Forgive me, for dragging you in my crazy world._

* * *

**A/N: Done! I hope you'll enjoy! I'm done with exams, so updates will flow like a river, so to speak, so crank up the reviews and I'll show you the updates! Anyone with secret questions, feel free to ask!**

**Q/A:**

**Aaronvang: I'll still call you Vang. Minato MIGHT get help from his friends and he still retains his Personas *wink***

**Also, Minato does, in fact, train secretly. In Narda.**

**Vince: Thanks, but what in the world is a Brilliant Mind? I never heard of it.**

**FES: Uh, no, it isn't a running gag... But seems like it, right?**

**Gin: Probably the last time. Ad yes, Elder will probably, more or less, drag everyone's families in it.**

**Thanks! The exams were okay-ish. Chem murdered me, but luckily, I did have some... help.**

**Darkened Dusk: They're NOT a couple yet. It was stated in the previous chapters that they're doing it as 'friends with benefits'.**

**Dr. Franken Stien: sigh... *facedesks* sure, 'Kanji'...**

**Hoshi: thanks! I only followed your advice! **

**Uh, no... Christopher as in 'Lucy' and 'Christopher' combined to make Lucifer. I chose Lucifer, but if Elder did have a gf, it'd be Lucy.**

**Iron Wasp: Oh man, how I've been waiting for someone with a sharp eye!**

**Thanks!**

**Yeah, I was generally dissatisfied with my most hated character getting the main role. I avoided The Answer altogether.**

**Yes! Finally, someone who sees like I do about Aigis being a robot! Your idea of her being a SpecOps is so brilliant, I'm putting Aigis in DoW, except as a nonandroid...**

**I guess you can call Minato's recollection problem as something 'psychological'? Because memories are painful, for me, and I'd rather not talk about stuff like that, if I went through what Minato went through...**

**Don't worry about that. I'm not offended at all, in fact, I was actually planning on including Minato's friends and family when Elder strikes next. He's already shown as a devious bastard, I think it wouldn't be below him to strike Minato's loved ones. And yes, Koro will have a bigger role. I'm actually thinking of adding a special collar that allows him to talk, like that dog from Up.**

**Don't worry about ridiculously long reviews, and an even bigger treat seeing one so insightful. I find those delightful, and I do hope you write another one like this!**

**CQS: A what? What is Brilliant Mind?**

**DeathArcana13: dude, thirty something chapters of MinaMina isn't good enough for you? Ako lng bla bahala sang storya ko. Basa kalang, ako ma sulat. Okay? So start hoping nalang kay ako ang ga sulat. Claro?**


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